Matters of the Heart: Cardiac Telemetry Saves Kids’ Lives

Unlike hardwired monitoring systems that keep a patient tethered to a bed or room, the wireless monitors allow children to walk the hallways and participate in activities on the unit, carrying the monitor in a small cloth pouch that can be worn like a backpack or purse. This mobility is not just freedom, it’s also a medical benefit that improves mood and helps patients heal faster. The wireless technology also means a patient’s heart can be monitored when they leave MS7 for imaging or care in other parts of the hospital.
 

Cardiac telemetry also allows children with heart conditions to be cared for on MS7 instead of in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). “Part of the reason we launched this program was to help expedite kids out of the ICU,” said MS7 nurse manager Ashley Canfield, RN. “There were children who previously would have remained within our PICU based on needing a higher level of focused attention than an inpatient medical-surgical unit could offer. This program has allowed us to take patients out of the PICU and free up intensive care beds while still providing that same level of attention for their cardiac issues.”

Launched in 2023 on, appropriately enough, Valentine’s Day, Connecticut Children’s cardiac telemetry program was five years in the making. Because most telemetry training and certification focuses on adult patients, finding and training pediatric technicians took time. Today, MS7 has a core team of six full- and part-time staff, with two per diem technicians.

Right now, Connecticut Children’s has four wireless telemetry units and one battery charging system, so cardiac telemetry is currently available only on MS7. Expanding the program would be a costly endeavor. A single telemetry unit costs over $5,000. An additional charging station would run $2,865 and each rechargeable battery is $702. Canfield would like to see the program expand to other floors of the hospital, so physicians don’t have to choose between sending a patient to MS7 for cardiac monitoring and keeping them on a more appropriate floor. “Being in the right place for the right care is important,” she said.

Your support of the Greatest Need Children’s Fund allows Connecticut Children’s to purchase lifesaving tools like cardiac telemetry monitoring systems.