Remote Patient Monitoring: An E-Health Solution for Cardiac Patients

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) encompasses various heart conditions, such as arrhythmias, congenital heart diseases, and strokes. This review focuses on the remote monitoring of CVD patients by discussing the already available devices, the architecture of the CVD remote monitoring system, the challenges, and future perspectives. CVDs have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, responsible for about 30% of all diseases. Risk factors for CVD include demographic characteristics, smoking, genetic factors, and lifestyle habits, such as obesity and physical inactivity. CVDs are no longer limited to developed countries, with 80% of CVDrelated mortality occurring in developing nations. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) technology allows healthcare providers to monitor patients using wearable and non-wearable devices, enabling efficient evaluation and consultation for better patient care. In the case of CVDs, timely intervention hinges on regular symptom monitoring and response to treatment, with Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) emerging as a key approach. This method allows automatic recording of patient data through various devices, including invasive ones, such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Non-invasive devices aid in long-term self-management by monitoring and transmitting data to prevent emergencies and enhance prognosis. Patients with serious CVDs may have cardiac implantable electronic devices that provide continuous physiological information, which can be analyzed using machine learning algorithms to identify risks. RPM devices can reduce hospitalizations and costs by enabling preventive interventions and medication management, ultimately enhancing healthcare systems' ability to provide remote care for CVD patients. Despite the numerous applications of the digital health system, challenges hinder its implementation in developing countries. The main challenge lies in the absence of ICT infrastructure in rural areas, which hinders the effectiveness of healthcare systems, along with the difficulty in obtaining electronic devices and ensuring an uninterrupted power supply, both of which hamper the deployment of ICT services and the adoption of digital health systems by healthcare professionals and consumers. Overall, addressing these challenges requires human resource training, universal standards for RPM advancement, and a change in stakeholders' perceptions towards digital health technologies in underdeveloped nations.