Small, Wireless Monitor Provides Long-Term Remote Monitoring to Help Physicians Diagnose and Monitor Irregular Heartbeats
April 10, 2014 –Cooper University Health Care recently became one of the first hospitals in New Jersey to implant in a patient, the Medtronic Reveal LINQ™ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System, the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available. Cooper cardiologists John A. Andriulli, DO, FACC, Director of the Arrhythmia Device Program, and Andrea M. Russo, MD, FACC, FHRF, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Services, were the first two physicians to implant devices in patients on March 14 and 17, 2014.
The Reveal LINQ ICM is approximately one-third the size of a AAA battery (~1 cc), making it more than 80 percent smaller than other ICMs. While significantly smaller, the device is part of a powerful system that allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient’s heart for up to three years, with 20 percent more data memory than its larger predecessor, Reveal®XT.
“This is an improvement in technology that will positively impact the way we are able to remotely diagnose and treat cardiac conditions,” said Dr. Andriulli. “In addition to the device being very compact, patients will have the peace of mind knowing that we are able to remotely monitor abnormal heart rhythms,” said Dr. Russo.
In addition to its continuous and wireless monitoring capabilities, the system provides remote monitoring through the Carelink® Network. Through the Carelink Network, physicians can request notifications to alert them if their patients have had cardiac events. “There is now evidence that this device can detect irregular/abnormal heart rhythms called atrial fibrillation (AFib) that can lead to stroke,” said Dr. Russo.
The Reveal LINQ ICM is indicated for patients who experience symptoms such as dizziness, palpitation, syncope (fainting) and chest pain that may suggest a cardiac arrhythmia, and for patients at increased risk for cardiac arrhythmias.
Placed just beneath the skin through a small incision of less than 1 cm in the upper left side of the chest, the Reveal LINQ ICM is often nearly invisible to the naked eye once inserted. The device is placed using a minimally invasive insertion procedure, which simplifies the experience for both physicians and their patients. The Reveal LINQ ICM is MR-Conditional, allowing patients to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if needed.
The Reveal LINQ system also includes the new MyCareLink™ Patient Monitor, a simplified remote monitoring system with global cellular technology that transmits patients’ cardiac device diagnostic data to their clinicians from nearly any location in the world.