April 15, 2025
Patients receiving lung transplants at Mayo Clinic in Florida benefit from a new clinical protocol that uses remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology to evaluate patients. Various devices are used to monitor a wide range of vital signs, including temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, oxygen levels and lung function, after lung transplant. These devices are linked to a digital platform designed to give patients access to medical staff with specialized training to monitor and identify changes to their symptoms and vitals and escalate care as needed.
Sadia Z. Shah, M.D., a transplant pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida, explains how this technology can be used to prevent complications, improve patient outcomes, and reduce the cost of healthcare, as well as improve patient education as transplant recipients prepare for life after lung transplant.
Improved patient outcomes and healthcare costs
Remote patient monitoring was first used during the COVID-19 pandemic where it proved to be beneficial in decreasing the need for hospitalization and improving patient outcomes. Mayo Clinic in Florida is using its remote patient monitoring platform to monitor patients with recent transplants who have the highest risk of infection and rejection.
The combination of a highly skilled remote patient monitoring team and a digital analytic platform allows the lung transplant team to best triage the patients at the earliest sign of clinical decline, improving patient outcomes and preventing complications. Identifying a clinical complication earlier helps mitigate the need for hospitalization and decreases the length of stay in the hospital if hospitalization is needed, which improves healthcare costs for patients.
Lung transplant recipients are among the sickest patients when comparing solid organ transplant recipients. The lungs are exposed to the outside environment at all times. This predisposes the patients to an increased risk of infection and rejection. Over the last few years, the number of patients who have had a lung transplant at Mayo Clinic has nearly doubled.
"The additional layer of safety provided by our remote patient monitoring team as well as the information we gain from the data analytics platform of the RPM program helps the lung transplant team risk stratify patients in a way that we couldn't until now," says Dr. Shah.
Increased patient education
Patients with end-stage lung disease in need of lung transplant learn to live their lives in a way unimaginable to most. They are on supplemental oxygen and have difficulty breathing, which limits their ability to do simple day-to-day tasks.
"Unfortunately, many lung transplant patients are used to feeling unwell prior to their transplant. This learned norm can lead patients to not report concerning symptoms or complications promptly after their lung transplant, leading to delayed reporting of serious infections or rejection of their lung," says Dr. Shah. "The remote patient monitoring team not only helps our lung transplant team track concerning symptoms and vitals but also coaches the patients to learn their new normal, helping them understand the symptoms that require attention."
Using the remote patient monitoring devices after lung transplant surgery helps lung transplant recipients navigate their recovery and provides the transplant team with vital information that guides their ongoing treatment. When patients have difficulty using the equipment or are noncompliant with monitoring, medical staff can step in to identify these challenges early and ensure that patients are educated to use the devices correctly.
The future of remote patient monitoring
Mayo Clinic in Florida plans to use remote patient monitoring to help decrease waitlist mortality.
"As a transplant pulmonologist, my goal is to provide the best available care to my patients and get my patients to transplant as quickly as possible," says Dr. Shah. "This technology can help us identify patients awaiting lung transplant who are declining clinically. This will allow us to adjust their lung composite allocation scores (CAS) accordingly, allowing our patients to be transplanted faster."
Dr. Shah explains that the remote patient monitoring program and its data analytic platform will be crucial for machine learning and the development of artificial intelligence.
"In the future, we will be able to identify patients at a higher risk of declining clinically on the waitlist, and at higher risk of infection or organ rejection after lung transplantation," says Dr. Shah. "This will allow physicians to intervene sooner, helping our patients live longer and healthier lives after organ transplantation."
For more information
Refer a patient to Mayo Clinic.