St. Mary’s Health Care System on May 28 became one of the first hospitals in Georgia to implant the Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System in a patient, the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available.

The Reveal LINQ is approximately one-third the size of a AAA battery, making it about 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.

“The Reveal monitor allows us to monitor the patient’s heart function 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for up to three years, but it is so small we can literally inject it under the skin using a local anesthetic,” said Amit Shah, M.D., PhD., medical director of St. Mary’s Electrophysiology Laboratory and a partner with Oconee Heart and Vascular Center.

The monitor is placed in the upper left side of the chest and is almost invisible in most patients. Recorded information can be used to diagnose causes of problems such as dizziness, palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or even strokes triggered by certain kinds of cardiac arrhythmias. 

The implantation procedure takes just a few minutes, and most patients are able to return home shortly afterwards.

Wednesday’s procedure was performed in the minor procedures room of St. Mary’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory by Subodh Agrawal, M.D., of Athens Heart Center, with Dr. Shah assisting. In addition to Drs. Agrawal and Shah, John Layher, M.D., of Oconee Heart and Vascular Center, is also certified to perform the procedure at St. Mary’s.

“The insertable loop recorder was always a very useful tool to diagnose abnormal heart rates and rhythms. It has become even more powerful with its wireless capability and reduced size,” said Dr. Agrawal.

When the Reveal LINQ detects an abnormal heart rhythm or heart rate, it automatically makes a telemetry recording of the event. Additionally, patients can manually record an event by pressing a button on a separate hand-held device while holding it over the implanted unit. Using Bluetooth technology, the device automatically sends recorded data to a wireless transmitter, which in turns relays the data to the cardiologist’s office, alerting the cardiologist to a potential arrhythmia. Patients are also instructed to call their cardiologist after experiencing symptoms.

Once the cause of the patient’s symptoms has been diagnosed, the monitor can easily be removed in a short outpatient procedure under local anesthesia, according to Dr. Shah. Also, the Reveal LINQ ICM is MR-Conditional, allowing patients to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if needed.

“Many arrhythmias are hard to diagnose because they are infrequent and happen sporadically,” he added. “The Reveal LINQ ICM is a smaller and yet more powerful device that can help us diagnose arrhythmia, and eventually, with effective treatment, improve the quality of life of our patients.”