How Medtronic & #039;s Pacemakers Are Now Harder to Hack

FDA approved Medtronic's Azure pacemakers, which feature the company's new BlueSync technology to protect patients from having their device hacked. The BlueSync technology is also now available with the Medtronic Percepta portfolio of quadripolar, MR-conditional cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers (CRT-Ps), the company said. BlueSync is intended to enable more secure wireless remote monitoring via Medtronic's CareLink Network, by limiting access to the device functionality and also by protecting patient data. Connected medical devices like pacemakers add value to patient care by enabling remote patient monitoring and giving clinicians access to important patient data that can result in more timely care. But these devices also present new cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could put patients at risk. That's why experts are adamant that cybersecurity must be part of medical device architecture.  Awareness of cybersecurity issues is no longer the problem in the medical device field, but many companies are still unprepared to handle a cybersecurity incident, according to a recent industry poll. In addition to the benefits of BlueSync technology, Medtronic said its new Azure pacemakers offer improved longevity, estimated at 13.7 years, which is about 27%, longer than its predecessor. The company launched both a single chamber and dual chamber model of the device, the Azure XT MRI and Azure S MRI. And as the name suggests, both devices allow patients to have MRI scans....
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Digital Health Cardiovascular Source Type: news