Boston Scientific digital innovation expands cardiac care reach
The digital solution developed by Boston Scientific is bridging the geographic gap in cardiac care, reaching patients from South Africa's heartland to the remote Azores islands. This innovative technology allows healthcare professionals to connect with global experts at any time, even during power outages, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical medical insights and field-based specialists. This ultimately enhances cardiac care delivery in even the most far-flung locations.
Accelerating accessibility to healthcare in the Azores
The Boston Scientific team developed a solution utilising a reliable satellite internet connection, specifically addressing the challenges faced in remote locations like the Azores. Connectivity on these mountainous islands in the Atlantic can be unpredictable. For critical cardiac procedures, physicians need the assurance that connections to remote specialists will not fail them.
This need was recently addressed when a physician at the Ponta Delgada hospital in the Azores required real-time support. In this instance, the satellite connection enabled Boston Scientific clinical specialists based in Barcelona, Spain (over 2,500km away) to collaborate seamlessly with the physicians on the island, even during bad weather.
Thanks to the solution provided, the patient avoided a potentially lengthy and stressful ferry or plane trip to the larger island of São Miguel. This not only facilitated a more efficient and sustainable treatment process but also kept the patient closer to their support network, highlighting the significant accessibility benefits this technology offers.
“The use of this technology showed we could securely connect our clinical team with physicians in the Azores to successfully conduct this operation” said Duong Tu, director of digital health for Boston Scientific Rhythm Management in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. “This solution also helped to reduce the time and resources required by the patient and hospital during the procedure and shows us a more efficient and sustainable healthcare approach,” he added.
By connecting physicians with clinical specialists or peers through secure, low-latency, high-bandwidth satellite channels, the solution provides real-time support during critical procedures. Physicians can seamlessly send crucial medical information and receive immediate guidance regardless of their location.
Ensuring clinical support despite outages in South Africa
The on-demand and real-time solution is also being employed in South Africa as a response to the country’s severe power shortages, where blackouts can disrupt life-saving cardiac care. Recently, a Boston Scientific team in South Africa used a secure internet connection to overcome these limitations, guaranteeing constant access to vital medical expertise and critical medical insights during emergencies.
The success story of Dr. Razeen Gopal, electrophysiologist and director of the Cape Town AF Centre, exemplifies the solution's impact as he flawlessly performed a complex procedure with remote assistance from a Boston Scientific clinical specialist. According to Dr. Gopal, the Boston Scientific solution's ability to allow for remote teaching and learning in real time will be crucial for how the medical industry would transfer essential skills in the future. The patient made a full recovery, and the doctor managed to continue providing care without interruption.
The future of cardiac care
As technology advances further, we can expect a surge in digital solutions designed to provide meaningful innovation for physicians and their patients. These transformative technologies have the potential to significantly enhance cardiac care in remote areas worldwide. By empowering seasoned experts to overcome geographical and connectivity barriers, these solutions can deliver accessible, high-quality support to patients globally.
To find out more about how Boston Scientific is innovating in the field of digital health, please watch the BBC ‘Connecting the Dots’ StoryWorks video: Bridging the distance at the touch of a button with remote patient monitoring (youtube.com) and read this article by Angelo De Rosa: “Exploring Digital Health Technologies is an Imperative, not an Option and the Time is Now”.