Follow-up

The complexity of follow-up for cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs: pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators [ICDs], and cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]) parallels the increasing and evolving sophistication of the devices itselfCIEDs continue to acquire an increasing amount of data, both physiologic and device-related, to permit assessing health status, with the goal of notifying caregivers before clinical decompensation occurs to permit clinical interventionFollow-up of patients with ICDs is in many respects similar to that of patients with pacemakers with a large emphasis on remote monitoring/remote interrogationIndeed, with the progressive integration of pacemaker and ICD technology, assessing the “pacemaker” function of the ICD has become a standard part of ICD evaluationBecause of the specialized equipment necessary for pacemaker, ICD, and CRT assessment and follow-up, dedicated space is desirable.