CardioNet/AIRDESK- Mobile cardiac telemetry

The Situation
CardioNet is the first company in the world to introduce mobile cardiac telemetry -- the ability to monitor and transmit patients' ECG's continuously as they go about their normal daily activities -- at home, at work, commuting, even when playing sports. CardioNet developed both the wireless cardiac monitoring technology and 24/7-response capability to allow physicians to better diagnose and treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias, which often occur too infrequently to be detected during office or emergency room examinations.

Time is of the essence in diagnosing and treating arrhythmia; delays can lead to increased morbidity and mortality and cause significant anxiety for patients. Thus, the impetus for CardioNet to establish a real-time wireless monitoring system was to save lives.

With CardioNet mobile cardiac telemetry, which is prescribed by the patient's physician, patients wear a sensor (invisible under clothing) that transmits each heartbeat to a PDA-sized monitor. If the monitor detects an abnormal heartbeat, it transmits the patient's ECG to the CardioNet Monitoring Center, using wireless communications when the patient is away from home and normal telephone lines when the patient is at home.

Certified cardiovascular technicians in the CardioNet Monitoring Center analyze the transmissions 24/7 and respond appropriately. Routine response involves issuing daily telemetry reports to the physician -- accessible by fax or Internet. Urgent events may require immediate physician and patient notification and, when necessary, assistance in obtaining Emergency Medical Services.

The Challenge
CardioNet's first wireless monitoring product used CDPD to transmit data from the patient to the physician. However, the effectiveness of the system was constrained by the infrastructure and limited coverage provided by CDPD. Additionally, there was a demand to be able to transmit increasing amounts of data immediately.

"We knew that we needed to make a significant change in our system in order to continue to provide our physicians with this critical information about their patients," explained CardioNet's Steve Emerson. "We needed broader coverage and the ability to transmit a significantly increased volume of data."

CardioNet decided to switch and transmit its life-saving information over CDMA - which would provide not only an increased coverage area, but also the ability to talk directly with the patient because of CDMA's ease of use and voice capability. CardioNet also installed a GPS system on each of its monitoring units to be able to locate each of its patients at a moments notice.

Though CardioNet realized that moving to CDMA was the clear solution, putting all the pieces in place to ensure the system was up-and-running properly was not going to be an easy task. Because CardioNet was a relatively young company, it quickly became a challenge to identify and secure all the parts necessary to put an M2M (machine to machine) wireless data communications system in place, let alone working through the issues that arise when switching from one data transmission platform to another without external support.

The Solution
CardioNet sought assistance and support from AIRDESK, the leading provider of best-of-breed wireless data solutions and services. In switching to CDMA, CardioNet realized that it needed to work with a whole series of different wireless companies - from hardware and software vendors to network carriers and application developers.

CardioNet turned to AIRDESK to help manage the fray and gain the mind share of established wireless companies in order to secure access to the right technology.

"AIRDESK has been extremely important in helping facilitate our working relationship with a number of key vendors that were critical to getting our system in place," explained Emerson. "Not only have they helped us secure the wireless hardware we needed, but they have provided outstanding technical support to help ensure that our implementation continues to run smoothly."

Since receiving approval for its system in February of 2002, CardioNet has served thousands of patients, saving many lives and assisting physicians in diagnosing and treating serious cardiac problems that otherwise might not have been found.

This was made possible by switching to CDPD and leveraging AIRDESK's network of products and support services.

"AIRDESK has done an excellent job of understanding our needs and challenges, and has been extremely efficient at meeting our demands for products and services," said Emerson. "They have and continue to be an outstanding partner in advancing our mission."