IMR Press / RCM / Volume 23 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2301027
Open Access Original Research
A decade of insertable cardiac monitors with remote monitoring in pediatric patients
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1 Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Arrhythmias Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 000165 Rome, Italy
2 Epidemiology Institute, Epidemiology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 000165 Rome, Italy
3 Anesthesiology Department Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 000165 Rome, Italy
*Correspondence: mstefano.silvetti@opbg.net (Massimo S. Silvetti)
Academic Editor: Yoshiaki Kaneko
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2022, 23(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2301027
Submitted: 24 September 2021 | Revised: 21 October 2021 | Accepted: 28 October 2021 | Published: 17 January 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Electrophysiology: Diagnosis and Treatment)
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Remote monitoring-enabled insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are useful tools for arrhythmias and symptom management. This study sought to evaluate the outcome of ICM implantation in a large, heterogeneous cohort of pediatric and young adult patients. Methods: Single centre, retrospective analysis of patients who underwent ICM implantation in 2010–2019. Patients were analysed according to age, symptoms, arrhythmias and underlying heart disease. Results: A total of 200 consecutive patients (58% male), aged 11.5 ± 5.8 years at ICM implantation, were included. Follow-up was 31 ± 18 months. Electrophysiologic study (EPS) was initially performed in 123 patients and was negative in 85%. Patients had no heart disease (57.5%), congenital heart defects (21%), channelopathies (14.5%), cardiomyopathies/heart tumors (8%). The commonest symptoms were syncope/presyncope (45.5%) and palpitations (12.5%). A definite diagnosis was made in 63% of patients (positive diagnosis in 25%, negative in 38%) after 8 (2–19) months of monitoring. EPS results and the presence/absence of an arrhythmia before ICM implantation had no impact on the diagnostic yield. Symptomatic patients as well as patients without structural heart disease showed higher diagnostic yield. Patients with a positive diagnosis underwent pacemaker/implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation (13%), pharmacological treatment (10.5%), or catheter ablation (1.5%). Conclusions: In a large cohort of 200 children and young adults, ICMs with remote monitoring showed a high diagnostic yield (63%), especially in symptomatic patients and in patients without structural heart disease.

Keywords
Insertable cardiac monitors
Remote monitoring
Syncope
Pediatric age
Congenital heart defects
Inherited arrhythmia
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