St. Jude Medical introduces Wireless USB Adaptor for Merlin@home transmitter in the U.S.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced the U.S. launch of its Wireless USB Adaptor for the Merlin@home™ transmitter, a system that allows important patient data from an implantable cardiac device to be wirelessly downloaded and securely transmitted via telephone for review by a physician. The new Wireless USB Adaptor enables patients using a Merlin@home transmitter to transmit data to their physician over cellular networks, allowing for more convenient care than existing landline services provide.

“The Wireless USB Adaptor is another addition to our innovative product portfolio and demonstrates the strength of our connectivity platform.”

"For patients who either prefer to use cellular technology or do not have access to a standard phone line, this product provides an alternative solution for secure data transmission," said Dr. David Sandler, director of electrophysiology at the Oklahoma Heart Institute in Tulsa, Okla. "The Wireless USB Adaptor offers a reliable, portable remote monitoring option for patients who frequently travel."

The Wireless USB Adaptor is a small device that plugs into new and existing Merlin@home transmitters. The transmitter typically sits on a patient's bedside table and wirelessly communicates with the patient's device while they are asleep. The data are sent via the Merlin@home transmitter to the Merlin.net™ Patient Care Network (PCN), an Internet-based repository of patient and device data. Once transmitted, the Merlin.net PCN organizes the data for fast analysis and easy review, and allows information to be sent directly to a clinic's or hospital's electronic health record (EHR) system for inclusion in the patient's comprehensive EHR.

"This technology improves patient care by providing an efficient remote monitoring system when the use of a landline is inconvenient or unavailable," said Eric S. Fain, M.D., president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. "The Wireless USB Adaptor is another addition to our innovative product portfolio and demonstrates the strength of our connectivity platform."

The remote monitoring capabilities facilitated by the Merlin@home transmitter permit automated follow-up appointments and daily device checks to occur wirelessly, with limited patient action required. This reduces unnecessary visits to the physician's office, while allowing physicians to more quickly become aware of changes with the patient's condition or device.

The transmitter supports all radio-frequency (RF) St. Jude Medical implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds), and the Accent™ RF pacemaker and Anthem™ RF CRT-P (cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker). The Accent RF pacemaker and Anthem CRT-P are the first and only pacemakers that provide complete remote and in-clinic follow-ups via wireless communication.

Implantable cardiac devices are designed to capture and record information about device performance and patient heart rhythms that is vital to patient care. Alerts can also be set up by the physician, based on their preferences, notifying them of any important changes with the patient's condition or device.

The data transferred using the Merlin@home device are fully encrypted and meet or exceed all applicable national data privacy and security requirements in every country where the Merlin.net PCN is used. In addition, BSI Management Systems, an international standards testing, registration and certification organization, has awarded St. Jude Medical the information security certification ISO/IEC 27001:2005. This ISO certification, a stringent worldwide information security standard, recognizes that the St. Jude Medical Merlin.net PCN has established processes and standards that maintain the strictest levels of confidentiality, integrity and availability for its customers. The Merlin.net PCN is the first medical device data network to be recognized with this certification.

The Merlin.net PCN was also recognized as a silver winner of the 2009 Medical Design Excellence Awards, an award competition that is organized and presented by Canon Communications LLC and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products.