A device which monitors the heart and transmits the data to cardiac departments for analysis could be available for every heart patient in the State over the next couple of years.
Sixty patients in Dublin's Mater Hospital will be fitted with the wireless communications system that enables the patient to send information gathered by the device to the physician by telephone or e-mail.
The Republic is one of the first countries in the world to pioneer the device which is made by the American company Medtronic.
It costs only €150 per patient, but will save the hospital and the patients a multiple of that figure, according to the hospital.
Normally, cardiac patients have to make a round trip to the hospital four times every year for a check-up which can now be done from home. Such trips can be costly, in terms of time and money. For example, it costs one patient €1,200 to make the quarterly trip from his home in Cavan.
Louise Lynn (21), who has one of the devices fitted because of an irregular heartbeat, currently has a 500km round trip from her home in Crossmolina, Co Mayo for her consultation.
She said: "This means no more travel, no more expense and no more time out of my life spending a day travelling for a 10-minute job."
The hospital estimates that the new device will cut the time for seeing 40 patients at an average clinic from two days to just three hours. It is hoped the device, which will be trialled with 60 patients for six months, will eventually be rolled out to all of the hospital's 2,000 cardiac patients and, if successful, to all the major cardiac hospitals in the State.
Consultant cardiologist at the Mater Hospital Dr Joe Galvin said many patients with implantable heart rhythm devices, such as defibrillators, would be over 65 and the journeys, which average almost 250km in total, impose an unnecessary strain on them.
"CareLink allows them to have the regular check-ups done via a phone line and greatly reduces the need for the hospital visit and for family members or friends to take time off work to bring them to and from the check-up. Such technology improves the quality of life for the patient, while reducing the dependence on hospitals and outpatients departments," he said.
The Medtronic defibrillators also have a built-in alarm system that sounds if there is an irregularity and CareLink will enable the patient to get information sent immediately from their heart device to their doctor.
Should the patient require inpatient care, the doctor will be able to provide the hospital with accurate information and an assessment of the problem.
The device was launched yesterday in the Mater, by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He commended the Mater Hospital "for having the foresight for having this new technology in order to streamline the quality of service and improve the quality of life for patients".
