LISBON, PORTUGAL AND MINNEAPOLIS -- The future of medical device technology took a major step forward as Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced the European launch of a new heart monitoring system at EUROPACE, a major educational and research meeting in arrhythmias and cardiac pacing held recently in Lisbon, Portugal. The Medtronic CareLink® Network, Monitor and software will enable patients at risk of heart conditions to electronically transmit data from their implanted cardiac device directly to their physician, allowing the completion of life-saving check-ups without requiring the patient to leave home.

Approximately 500,000 patients die from sudden cardiac death (SCD) in Europe each year1; most of these deaths are caused by the heart beating abnormally (arrhythmias). These abnormal heart rhythms are triggered by a fault in the heart's electrical system, causing the heart to beat rapidly (ventricular tachycardia), slowly (bradycardia) or irregularly (ventricular fibrillation). Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are medical devices that are implanted in the chest area with leads (wires) extending to the heart, where they administer electrical therapies to stop the dangerous ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Up to 2 million patients in Europe are candidates for ICDs; since ICDs are proven to be 98 percent effective, this suggests a number of lives could be saved with their use.

Patients with ICDs need regular check-ups to monitor the function of their device. The Medtronic CareLink Network is an Internet-based monitoring service which connects such patients and their physicians for "virtual check-ups." Patients simply hold a small antenna over their device, and information on how their heart and ICD are working, which is comparable to the information provided during an in-clinic follow-up visit, is downloaded into the Medtronic CareLink Monitor. This information is then sent through a telephone line directly to a new data centre in Europe. Clinicians can access their patients' data by logging onto a secure physician Web site, and may make adjustments to the patient's medication or prescribe additional therapy without needing to see the patient in person.

Until now, people living with an ICD faced two to four scheduled visits to their clinic each year for a device check-up, with potentially unscheduled visits as needed for more critical situations. Now, the small and easily portable Medtronic CareLink Monitor allows patients to stay connected to their clinicians from their home, from work or while traveling, potentially meaning fewer clinic visits.

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