Abbott has announced CE Mark and the first use of its insertable cardiac monitor that is compatible with smartphones. The Confirm Rx Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) helps physicians in diagnosing and detecting arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation.

The device improves convenience for patients while also offering physicians access to secure data through Abbott's Merlin.net Patient Care Network. Connected to the myMerlin mobile app, the ICM sends data to remote physicians to quickly and effectively diagnose arrhythmias.

"The Confirm Rx ICM device will be an important tool for diagnosing patients with suspected arrhythmias, such as those who have experienced fainting or palpitations," said Georg Nölker, MD, head of electrophysiology at the Herz-und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr-University of Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. "The simple insertion procedure and small device size make this technology convenient for both patients and providers. Patients can record symptoms directly on their smartphone without the need for a bedside transmitter or separate activator."

The mobile app, available in 35 languages, includes features for patient to record their symptoms, confirm the data was transmitted to their physician and receive automatic alerts.

"The Confirm Rx ICM will be particularly useful in monitoring for atrial fibrillation in my patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, following atrial fibrillation ablation and with stroke of an unknown cause,” said Christopher Piorkowski, MD, head of the Department of Electrophysiology at the University of Dresden Heart Center in Germany, and one of the first implanters. “It allows an objective way to quantify atrial fibrillation events to guide treatment decisions. The smartphone compatibility engages patients and allows better compliance to remote monitoring through a simple and intuitive user interface. This allows clinic staff to reduce follow-up burden and focus on reviewing transmitted data for atrial fibrillation."