Pacemakers to monitor patients through smartphone app

 British patients have become the first in the world to be fitted with pacemakers that link up to their smartphones to monitor their vital signs using an app.

The app records heart rate, weight and blood pressure and can spot problems early and send an alert to doctors. It reduces the need for regular check-ups.

The first pacemakers were implanted in patients at Southampton General Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Dr John Paisey, a consultant cardiologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, who carried out the operations, said: “This is exciting technology which enables us to coordinate everything from the implantation of a pacemaker through to real-time monitoring via a smartphone all by low-energy Bluetooth.”

The app also gives advice about living with a pacemaker and uses data from the implant to monitor exercise levels and to create daily, weekly and monthly views of physical activity. It can even warn patients when their pacemaker battery is about to run down.