Transtelephone Adjustment of Antiarrhythmic Therapy in Ambulatory Patients

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Abstract
The electrocardiograms of 80 ambulatory patients receiving antiarrhythmic therapy were supervised with the help of a transtelephone monitoring system. The patients used a pocket-size modulator and reported several times daily to the receiving center integrated into the intensive cardiac care unit. The surveillance lasted for 5–28 days during which various drugs in varying dosages were administered to suppress or prevent dysrhythmias. In 94% of the patients, a satisfactory therapeutic achievement was obtained. The transtelephone system provides easy diagnosis, immediate pattern recognition, direct and frequent contact with the ambulatory patient and long periods of follow-up. During this time, the proper antiarrhythmic agent can successfully be defined, its effective dose can safely be determined and unnecessary hospitalization can thus be prevented.