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Remote monitoring systems, in their current forms, are networked communication solutions allowing exchange of digitized data from implanted or wearable devices. These data usually include electrocardiographic recordings, but nowadays they may encompass much more than that, allowing a continuously updated knowledge of a multitude of device‐ or patient‐related parameters. Remote monitoring has been shown, as one would have expected, to reduce the need for office visits and allow earlier detection—and thus management—of arrhythmic events. However, although there are hints that they may also be associated with improved clinical outcomes, the absence of randomized trials dictates a cautious interpretation of existing evidence. Furthermore, there are still several questions regarding their cost‐effectiveness, the patient populations that could benefit from them, as well as how the transmitted data should be interpreted and acted upon by physicians. In this review, we present and critically examine the current state of affairs of remote cardiac rhythm monitoring systems. Answer questions and earn CME: https://wileyhealthlearning.com/Activity2/4596216/Activity.aspx

A prospective study of 208 consecutive survivors of acute myocardial infarction was undertaken to determine the differences between Q‐ and non‐Q‐wave infarction, concerning data from the history, clinical course, and 6‐month follow‐up. There were 177 patients with Q‐wave infarction and 31 patients with non‐Q‐wave infarction. There were no significant differences for the following variables: age, sex, diabetes mellitus, smoking, positive family history, hypertension, obesity, previous infarction, history of unstable angina, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Killip class in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), arrhythmias and conduction defects in the CCU as well as drugs used. Patients with non‐Q wave infarction had a higher incidence of stable angina before the myocardial infarction and a lower value of creatine kinase (CK) and serum glutamic oxalacetic transferase (SGOT). During the 6‐month follow‐up, 9 cardiac deaths and 17 reinfarctions occurred, while 74 patients presented angina. There were no differences between the two groups concerning the incidence of cardiac death or angina, but patients with non‐Q‐wave infarction had a higher incidence of reinfarction at 6 months (p < 0.001). We conclude that although patients with non‐Q‐wave myocardial infarction have a lesser degree of myocardial damage, they have a high incidence of early reinfarction which puts them in a high‐risk group.

Zinc concentrations in serum from 99 patients with acute myocardial infarction were correlated with the incidence of further complications and with activities in serum of the "cardiac" enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase. A significantly subnormal zinc concentration was observed for the patients, the lowest values being observed on the second and third days after infarct, particularly in patients with serious complications. Moreover, a linear correlation was observed between zinc values and enzyme activities until the fourth day after infarct. We conclude that measurement of zinc in the serum may have diagnostic value for acute myocardial infarction, although its prognostic value is still speculative.