ST. PAUL, Minnesota — St. Jude Medical Inc. (NYSE:STJ) won CE Mark approval in the European Union for an adaptor that allows patients to send data from their implantable cardiac devices to physicians via cell-phone networks.
St. Jude’s new USB cellular adaptor works with the company’s Merlin@home transmitter, which previously could only be used on land lines to send data, according to a press release. The transmitter typically sits on a patient’s bedside table and wirelessly communicates with the patient’s device during the night.
The Merlin trasmitter sends data from a number of St. Jude’s radiofrequency devices, including various models of defibrillators and pacemakers. The transmitter allows patients to limit the need for unnecessary visits to their physician’s office and allows physicians to more quickly become aware of any changes with a patient’s condition or device, according to the press release.