Eighteen months' experience with remote diagnosis, management and education in congenital heart disease

In July 1998, a telemedicine link was established between the Venizelio Gen eral Hospital in Crete and the Paediatric Cardiology Department of the Aghi a Sophia Children's Hospital in Athens. The telemedicine link used ISDN at 384 kbit/s for diagnosis, management and education in congenital heart dise ase. Over 18 months, a total of 39 teleconsultations were carried out, conc erning 93 children with haemodynamically significant cardiac abnormalities. Forty-four children (47%) were managed locally after teleconsultation, whi le three children with transposition of the great arteries (3%) were transp orted as emergency cases to Athens in the first days of life. The other 46 children (50%) had a scheduled appointment at a tertiary centre for cardiac catheterization, angiocardiography, operative treatment or surgical repair . The telemedicine link brought a number of benefits, such as better access to the tertiary centre and the avoidance of patient transportation.