Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
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Remote monitoring of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) has emerged as a tool to replace regular follow-up of such devices, and to detect hardware failure, arrhythmias, and heart failure decompensation. The Asia-Pacific region is a geographically diverse area, with widely different cardiac device implant rates and expertise. However, common to all countries, distance and logistic for patients to reach an expert monitoring centre for routine follow up are significant, and in some countries, this will likely be replaced by remote monitoring. ⋯ Cost, lack of reimbursement, and logistic support are major issues in widespread application of remote monitoring technology. In conclusion, remote monitoring is increasing in Asia-Pacific region despite the increase in cost. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators and CRT/CRTDs are more likely than pacemakers to be enabled with remote monitoring.