Real‐World Disparities in Remote Follow‐Up of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Single‐Center Experience

Background Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices has been shown to improve cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To date, no studies have investigated disparities in use and delivery of RM. This study was performed to investigate if racial and socioeconomic disparities are present in cardiac implantable electronic device RM. Methods and Results This was a retrospective observational cohort study at a single tertiary care center in the United States. Patients who received a newly implanted cardiac implantable electronic device or device upgrade between January 2017 and December 2020 were included. Patients were classified as RM positive (RM+) when they underwent at least ≥2 remote interrogations per year during follow‐up. Of all eligible patients, 2520 patients were included, and 34% were women. The mean follow‐up was 25 months. Mean age was 71±14 years. Pacemakers constituted 66% of implanted devices, whereas 26% were implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators, and 8% were cardiac resynchronization therapy with implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators. Most patients (83%) were of European American ancestry. During follow‐up, 66% of patients were classified as RM+. Patients who were younger, European American, college‐educated, lived in a county with higher median household income, and were active on the hospital's patient portals were more frequently RM+. In an adjusted regression model, RM+ remained associated with the use of the online patient portal (odds ratio [OR], 2.889 [95% CI, 2.387–3.497]), presence of an implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (OR, 1.489 [95% CI, 1.207–1.835]), advanced college degree (OR, 1.244 [95% CI, 1.014–1.527]), and lastly with European American ancestry ( P <0.05). During the years of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the number of RM+ patients increased, whereas the association with ancestry and ethnicity decreased. Conclusions Despite being offered to all patients at implantation, significant disparities were present in cardiovascular implantable electronic device RM in this cohort. Disparities were partly reversed during COVID‐19. Further studies are needed to examine health center‐ and patient‐specific factors to overcome these barriers, and to facilitate equal opportunities to participate in RM.