ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Recent technological developments offer a multitude of new options for innovative approaches in patient care. Especially during COVID-19-pandemic, use of telemedical infrastructure has worldwide become a crucial part of pandemic containment. For an optimate interplay based on data secure exchange of diagnostical data (DD) between patients with com-plex congenital heart disease, ambulatory care and hospital care, we successfully implemented the first telemedical network for pediatric cardiology in Germany, the Congenital Cardiology Cloud (CCC). This study proofs the CCCs feasibility and analyses its technical characteristics as well as its implementation in routine clinical work. Method(s): Analysis of implementation and technical characteristics comprised numbers of incoming/outgoing data, related file types, treatment options for tele medically processed patients and patient classification with respect to severity of disease. Proof of feasibility was made by the analysis of successful telemedical transmissions of discharge documents at the end of observation period (03/2020-10/2020). Result(s): Analysis of bilateral telemedical traffic showed a number of 1178 files for a total of 349 patients, favouring transmissions towards the clinic (782 files). Incoming traffic was predominantly characterised by diagnostical data (88%), consisting of a multitude of file types, whereas 94% of the dispatched data corresponded to discharge letters. Number of teleconsultations counted up to 61 during observation period, with a necessary subsequent treatment in 90% of the presented cases. Tele medically processed patients generally showed to be more complex (severe chronic heart dis-ease 42% vs. 24%). From a total number of 422 discharged patients, 323 had a successful telemedical transmission of their discharge documents, resulting in a rate of success of 97,6% at the end of observation period (pic 1). Conclusion(s): Implementation of the first telemedical network for pediatric cardiology in Germany proofs recent technological developments to successfully enable innovative patient care, con-necting the ambulatory and hospital sector for a joint patient advice. Transferred diagnostical data facilitates mutual assessment and predominantly involves more complex cases, resulting in a subsequent necessary hospitalization. The introduction of possible governmentally guided refinancing concepts will show its long-term feasibility.