The LATITUDE® Patient Management system offers cardiac device patients and families the convenience of regularly scheduled remote follow-ups and remote monitoring from the comfort of home with fewer in-clinic visits. At the same time, patients enjoy increased peace of mind and the assurance that their doctor can monitor specific device information and their heart health.

Cardiac Device Therapy

Boston Scientific offers two different types of implantable cardiac devices that can be monitored remotely with the LATITUDE system: the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and the cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D.)
Learn more about cardiac device therapy »
Virtually all models of these devices offered by Boston Scientific are compatible with the LATITUDE system. Complete list of compatible devices »

The LATITUDE Patient Management system

The LATITUDE Patient Management system monitors the patient’s implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) by gathering information through the use of the LATITUDE Communicator, a small piece of equipment that sits in the patient’s home and connects to a standard phone jack. Some patients may also use the LATITUDE Heart Failure Management system (blood pressure monitor, weight scale with alert capability, device diagnostics and symptom self-report questions), as prescribed by their doctor. The functions performed by the Communicator include:

• Checking device battery status
• Checking device lead status
• Checking device settings
• Notifying the doctor if certain conditions are detected

Once the Communicator has gathered information during the remote device check or follow-up, it sends the data to a secure website, accessible only by the patient’s healthcare team.

LATITUDE Heart Failure Management system

The physician may also prescribe the optional LATITUDE Heart Failure Management system which includes tools used to monitor weight and blood pressure as well as symptom questions the patient is prompted by the communicator to answer. This information can provide timely insights into the patient’s heart failure status and also helps the patient take an active role in managing their health.

Weight and blood pressure should be measured as instructed by the doctor and are not automatically prompted by the Communicator. Weight and blood pressure readings are automatically transmitted to the Communicator which then sends the data to the secured website.

Remote Monitoring

LATITUDE Active Monitoring™

The wireless Communicator uses Active Monitoring™ to automatically collect data from the implanted device, as frequently as daily (schedule is determined by the implanting doctor). The automatic device checks are designed to make the ongoing monitoring process easy and convenient for patients, while enabling doctors to see changes sooner and take clinical action.

Patient-Initiated Monitoring

The wanded Communicator features a "wand" that the patient uses to check the device, as frequently as weekly, when prompted by the system. The patient is reminded by a flashing light on the Communicator to use the wand to check their device. The initial device check and full follow-ups can last up to three minutes. The weekly patient-initiated device checks take approximately 10-15 seconds, but may take longer if additional information needs to be collected.

The type of Communicator the patient will use depends on the type of device they have implanted. The physician and the clinic staff will know which Communicator the patient will need.

LATITUDE Away from Home

Patients can travel anywhere within the 50 United States with their LATITUDE Communicator, as long as they have access to a standard phone jack. When planning to travel with the Communicator, patients should notify the clinic before leaving to ensure they have the correct contact information in case the clinic needs to contact them. Because the Communicator is designed to work over a standard phone line and not with mobile phone technology, the LATITUDE system cannot be used on a cruise ship.