Postcards to Improve Remote Monitoring Connectivity Among Veterans With a Disconnected Monitor

Objective: To determine the effect on remote monitoring (RM) connectivity of mailing informational postcards to patients with CIEDs who have lost continuous RM connectivity because of a disconnected monitor.

Design: Parallel prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Setting: Veterans Health Administration.

Participants: Randomized selection of all patients with CIEDs whose bedside or smartphone monitor had become disconnected for ≥16 but ≤40 days from the manufacturer's RM service.

Exposure: We developed postcards that notified patients about RM disconnection, described RM's clinical benefits, and provided the customer service number of their CIED manufacturer. Twice monthly, we randomized patients to either receive or not receive the postcard.

Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was median time to reconnection.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients followed by the VA National Cardiac Device Surveillance Program for CIED remote monitoring care with a wireless-capable CIED (i.e., does not require manual transmission).
• CIEDs: pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and implantable loop recorders
• Patients had a remote monitoring transmission received by VA National Cardiac Device Surveillance Program within past 100 days (representing standard 90-day interval plus additional 10-day buffer in case of travel)
• Data from Abbott merlin.net, Biotronik Home Monitoring, Medtronic Carelink, or Boston Scientific Latitude indicating patient disconnected from remote monitoring for ≥16 days but ≤40 days

Exclusion criteria

• Address outside of United States or Puerto Rico
• Previously included in the present RCT or a complementary RCT (VANCDSP Disconnected CIED). Once a patient reconnects but then becomes disconnected again, cannot be included again