Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 1 > Pp. 22-26

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RESEARCH Original article

The TeleGuard trial of additional telemedicine care in CAD patients. 2 Morbidity and mortality after 12 months

Annika Waldmann ^* , Alexander Katalinic ^*, Bernhard Schwaab , Gert Richardt , Abdolhamid Sheikhzadeh ^*  and Heiner Raspe ^*

^* Institute for Social Medicine, University of Luebeck, Luebeck; Curschmann-Klinik, Timmendorfer Strand; Segeberger Kliniken, Bad Segeberg, Germany

Correspondence: Dr Annika Waldmann, University of Luebeck, Institute for Social Medicine, Institute for Cancer Epidemiology e.V., Beckergrube 43-47, 23552 Luebeck, Germany (Fax: +49 451 799 2551; Email: Annika.Waldmann{at}krebsregister-sh.de)

In the TeleGuard trial, 1500 patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) were recruited and randomized to control or intervention groups. Patients in the intervention group were equipped with a 12-lead event recorder and could contact a call centre and transmit an ECG whenever they wished. In a 12-month study, the composite endpoint (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, re-hospitalization or re-vascularization) was seen in 40% of the intervention patients and in 38% of the control patients. In both groups, approximately 40% were re-hospitalized. In total, 73 patients experienced re-vascularization, 75 showed an infarction and 33 died. Equipping CAD patients with a 12-lead ECG device and providing a telemedicine centre with 24-hour availability did not decrease risk for the composite endpoint (re-hospitalization, re-vascularization, (subsequent) myocardial infarction and/or death). It is likely that the clinical pathway used in the telemedicine centre led to an increased hospital admission rate in the intervention group.

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				A. Katalinic, A. Waldmann, B. Schwaab, G. Richardt, A. Sheikhzadeh, and H. Raspe The TeleGuard trial of additional telemedicine care in CAD patients. 1 Utilization of the system J Telemed Telecare, April 1, 2008; 14(1): 17 - 21. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]