St Jude Medical wins FDA approval for new version of Merlin.net PCN system

Published: 18-Mar-2009

This remote care system gathers and stores data from the implant procedures

St Jude Medical, a medical device company, has received the FDA's approval for its newest version of the Merlin.net Patient Care Network, an internet-based remote care system for patients with implanted medical devices.

This remote care system gathers and stores data from the implant procedure, in clinic follow-up visits or from both patient-initiated and automatic remote follow-up and monitoring transmissions, the company said.

According to St Jude Medical, the updated Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN) version 3.1 expands on features designed to improve clinic efficiency and enhance patient care by giving physicians better and more immediate access to information to help them manage their patients' devices. With its open architecture and standards-based interface, Merlin.net PCN is also fully integratable with all standard electronic health record systems, the company added.

It is reported that the latest version of Merlin.net PCN adds new options to its DirectAlerts notification feature, which can be used to alert a physician, including an on-call physician outside normal business hours, to changes in the device or the patient's disease state.

Eric Fain, president of St Jude Medical's cardiac rhythm management division, said: Developing a variety of methods to tackle the threat of atrial fibrillation (AF) through innovative technology is a major commitment that we have made at St Jude Medical. Adding AF episodes to our alert options allows physicians to access information quickly when these episodes occur and take more control over the management of their patients' condition.

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