Patients can have their cardiac issues remotely monitored from locations across the country with the use of portable devices and telephone or Internet connections through Raytel Cardiac Services.
If a patient with an ICD experiences a shock episode, remote monitoring by Raytel’s technicians can quickly detect the cause of the shock, then immediately contact the patient’s physician if necessary. Reports are given to the patient’s physician, who will determine the appropriate next steps, or can be forwarded to the emergency room for proper treatment upon arrival.
For those patients with mechanical heart valves who are on anticoagulation medicine, such as warfarin, and need to be sure that their blood doesn’t get too thin or too thick (which can result in hemorrhage or blood clots), Raytel offers the INR@Home Self-testing service.
With this service, patients perform a simple self-test with a small portable meter, similar to what diabetics use to test their blood sugar levels. The results are called in to Raytel’s trained technicians, who can immediately determine if the patient is “out of range” and needs follow-up by his or her physician for dosage adjustments.