Impact of Remote Cardiac Monitoring on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Global Cardiovascular Carbon Footprint Project.

Background

Remote monitoring (RM) of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is efficient and requires fewer resources than conventional monitoring. However, the impact of RM on the carbon footprint (CF) is not known.

Objectives

The authors sought to evaluate the reduction in cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with RM as compared to conventional monitoring of CIEDs and its relevance to CF.

Methods

Data were obtained from a third-party RM provider on 32,811 patients from 67 device clinics across the United States. Distance from home address to the device clinic for patients on RM was calculated. Savings in total distance traveled over 2 years was calculated using frequency of follow-up required for the device type. National fuel efficiency data and carbon emission data were obtained from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Environmental Protective Agency, respectively. The average gas price during the study period was obtained from U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Results

In the study population, RM resulted in a total saving of 31.7 million travel miles at $3.45 million and reduction of 12,518 metric ton of GHG from gasoline. There was a reduction of 14.2-million-page printouts, $3 million in cost, and 78 tons of GHG. Improvement in workforce efficiency with RM resulted in savings of $3.7 million. There was a net saving of $10.15 million and 12,596 tons of GHG emissions.

Conclusions

RM of patients with a CIED resulted in significant reductions in GHG emissions. Efforts to actively promoting RM can result in significant reduction in CF.

Informations de copyright

© 2023 The Authors.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Drs Bansal and Olsen are shareholders in Octagos Health. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this article to disclose.PERSPECTIVESCOMPETENCY IN SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE: The Global Cardiovascular Carbon Footprint Project is a grassroots group created to recognize the cardiovascular service industry’s environmental impact on greenhouse gas emissions and CF. As climate change is a collective challenge faced by humanity, the study aimed to assess the impact of RM of cardiac implantable electronic devices on global greenhouse gas emissions. TRANSLATIONAL OUTLOOK: RM is cost-effective and convenient, but it is also shown to have improved safety and patient satisfaction. The authors hope adapting and promoting RM of patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device can result in significant reductions in CF. A combined initiative among the medical subspecialties and medical industry is warranted to reduce the CF to confront the current climate change.