Accuracy and clinical utility of transtelephonic pacemaker follow-up.

The diagnostic accuracy of transtelephonic pacemaker monitoring (TTM) has been quantified in a retrospective study involving 369 patients in three U.S. cardiac centers. Using existing medical records, TTM findings in a total of 413 reports were judged for equivalence to the findings of subsequent physical examinations in pacemaker clinics. This study found TTM follow-up testing to have a sensitivity of 94.6%, specificity of 98.5%, positive predictive value of 93.3%, and negative predictive value of 98.8%. The study also documents the clinical utility of TTM in identifying various modes of pacemaker malfunctions and instances of significant arrhythmia.