A Digital, Patient-Centred Carepath for Cardiac Surgical Care With Continuous Remote Patient Monitoring
Abstract
Postoperative complications and readmissions remain common after cardiac surgery, and intermittent manual vital-sign checks leave patients unmonitored for much of the recovery period. We implemented a phygital care pathway combining enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols, and 21-day continuous remote monitoring (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation) with daily review and escalation to a cardiac surgeon when indicated. Quality of recovery (QoR-15) was assessed on preoperative days −1 and postoperative days 3 and 7, and patient-reported experience measurement (PREM) on day 30. Outcomes in 221 monitored patients (May-November 2025) were compared, retrospectively, with a historical, non-monitored cohort of 206 patients. In the monitored patients, a good-to-excellent QoR increase from 25% to 56% between days 3 and 7 was noticed. Seventy-five patients (34%) required 98 interventions, most commonly primary-care referral or medication adjustment. Thirty-day readmission (12.7% vs 12.1%, Fisher P = .88) and mortality (0.45% vs 1.4%, Fisher P = .36) did not differ significantly from the control cohort; the monitored group was significantly younger (66.7 vs 70.1 years, P = .0004), reflecting probable selection bias from smartphone and digital-literacy eligibility criteria. Patient-reported experience measurement scores were high (>91%). This pilot demonstrates the feasibility of a digital, patient-centred cardiac surgical pathway; readmission and mortality findings are hypothesis-generating and require prospective confirmation.
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BibTeX
@article{stevens2026digital,
title = {{A Digital, Patient-Centred Carepath for Cardiac Surgical Care With Continuous Remote Patient Monitoring}},
author = {Guylian Stevens and Jelle Fleerakkers and Jules François and Phillippe Ballaux and Koen Cathenis and Pascal Verdonck},
journal = {Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/icvts/ivag253},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivag253},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Digital, Patient-Centred Carepath for Cardiac Surgical Care With Continuous Remote Patient Monitoring
AU - Guylian Stevens
AU - Jelle Fleerakkers
AU - Jules François
AU - Phillippe Ballaux
AU - Koen Cathenis
AU - Pascal Verdonck
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
DO - 10.1093/icvts/ivag253
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivag253
AB - Postoperative complications and readmissions remain common after cardiac surgery, and intermittent manual vital-sign checks leave patients unmonitored for much of the recovery period. We implemented a phygital care pathway combining enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols, and 21-day continuous remote monitoring (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation) with daily review and escalation to a cardiac surgeon when indicated. Quality of recovery (QoR-15) was assessed on preoperative days −1 and postoperative days 3 and 7, and patient-reported experience measurement (PREM) on day 30. Outcomes in 221 monitored patients (May-November 2025) were compared, retrospectively, with a historical, non-monitored cohort of 206 patients. In the monitored patients, a good-to-excellent QoR increase from 25% to 56% between days 3 and 7 was noticed. Seventy-five patients (34%) required 98 interventions, most commonly primary-care referral or medication adjustment. Thirty-day readmission (12.7% vs 12.1%, Fisher P = .88) and mortality (0.45% vs 1.4%, Fisher P = .36) did not differ significantly from the control cohort; the monitored group was significantly younger (66.7 vs 70.1 years, P = .0004), reflecting probable selection bias from smartphone and digital-literacy eligibility criteria. Patient-reported experience measurement scores were high (>91%). This pilot demonstrates the feasibility of a digital, patient-centred cardiac surgical pathway; readmission and mortality findings are hypothesis-generating and require prospective confirmation.
SN - 2753-670X
ER -