Delays in urgent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) across the UK now exceed guideline targets, contributing to prolonged hospital stays, bed pressures, increased healthcare costs and psychosocial burden. A prospective, multicentre, single-arm study published in the Open Heart evaluated a virtual ward pathway using remote patient monitoring (RPM) for clinically stable patients awaiting urgent surgery.

Between December 2022 and May 2025, 128 patients were enrolled across three UK cardiac centers. Eligible patients were discharged home with daily symptom reporting through a digital platform and structured clinician review. The primary outcome was preoperative major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, resternotomy, time to surgery, postoperative length of stay, readmissions and patient experience.

The mean age was 61 years, and 87% were male. No preoperative MACE occurred (0%; 95% CI 0.0%-2.3%). Thirty-day mortality was 0% (95% CI 0.0%-2.9%), and resternotomy occurred in 2.3%, comparable to national rates. Median time from discharge to surgery was 10 days, corresponding to an estimated reduction of 1,152 inpatient bed-days. Postoperative stay was 7.0 days versus a national average of 8.0 days (p=0.084). Patient-reported experience was favorable, with 95% feeling safe at home and 89% finding the platform easy to use.

These findings indicate that a virtual ward RPM pathway was feasible and safe in selected patients. The model was associated with reduced inpatient utilization while surgical timelines were not prolonged.