Using CRM devices as forensic clues

Pacemakers and other cardiac rhythm management devices could help solve forensic cases by revealing a time and cause of death in cases where an autopsy is inadequate, according to a study presented today at EHRA Europace Cardiostim 2017. Lead author Dr. Philipp Lacour said in a statement that using CRM devices as clues could help satisfy an unmet need – nearly 30% of forensic cases remain unsolved because the autopsy does not clarify the cause or time of death. “The number of implanted cardiac devices with sophisticated diagnostic functions is increasing and we thought interrogating them might help to shed light on these unclear deaths,” Lacour said. “Currently, device interrogation is not routinely performed after autopsy.” Lacour teamed up with the Dept. of Forensic Medicine at the Charite-Medical University of Berlin, which performed more than 5,000 autopsies in a 5-year period. Of the 5,000 cases, 150 of them involved an implantable cardiac device. The devices included 107 pacemakers, 22 implantable cardioverter defibrillators, 14 cardiac resynchronization therapy systems and 6 implantable loop recorders. Electrophysiologists were able to determine the time of death in 76% of cases using data from the device. The team also reported that they could identify – to the minute – when the patient suffered tachycardia. The researchers were able to identify the cause of death, which included things like bradycardia and device malfunctions...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Cardiovascular Health Information Technology Software / IT Source Type: news