A relatively new and promising development in the area of cardiovascular implantable electronic device therapy is remote patient monitoring (RPM). RPM systems can interrogate the device automatically and send the data from the patients' home to the physician, thereby reducing in-clinic follow-ups.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of RPM + in-clinic follow-up versus in-clinic follow-up only on patient-reported health status and device-acceptance after implantation with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization defibrillator (CRT-D).

Secondary objectives are (1) to identify subgroups of patients who prefer RPM over in-clinic visits or vice versa due to specific clinical and psychological factors and (2) To investigate the cost-effectiveness of RPM + in-clinic follow-up compared to in-clinic follow-up only.

Inclusion Criteria:

• first time ICD/CRT-D implanted at one of the participating centers
• left ventricular ejection fraction <35%
• NYHA functional class II or III symptoms
• ICD/CRT-D device compatible with the LATITUDE(r) RPM system from Boston Scientific

Exclusion Criteria:

• On the waiting list for heart transplantation
• History of psychiatric illness others than affective/anxiety disorders
• Cognitive impairments
• Insufficient knowledge of the language to fill in the questionnaires