Feature | Cardiovascular Device Safety Can't End at Implantation - American College of Cardiology

Summary: Every year, doctors implant millions of heart devices like pacemakers, stents, and valves. While most work perfectly, tracking them over time is surprisingly difficult. Believe it or not, it is currently easier to look up the complete history of a rental car than to find the history of a life-saving device inside a patient's chest!

When patients visit an emergency room far from home, doctors often struggle to figure out exactly what device is implanted and if it has any safety recalls. To protect patients, medical experts are pushing for better tracking systems, like Unique Device Identifiers (UDIs), that follow a patient's medical records for life. Keeping hearts safe shouldn't stop the moment the surgery is over.

Source: Feature | Cardiovascular Device Safety Can't End at Implantation - American College of Cardiology URL: acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2026/06/01/01/feature-cardiovascular-device-safety (opens in new tab)