The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) announced that it is one of the first hospitals in the world to implant the Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System in a patient, the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available.
Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. Randy Lieberman, successfully completed one of the first implants in the U.S., in a patient on Saturday, February 22, 2014, less than two hours of receiving the product through customs from Switzerland. DMC was chosen to be one of the first centers to implant the device, based upon the advanced level of cardiac care at DMC Cardiovascular Institute.
“The Reveal LINQ ICM is so discreet that most patients will not even know it is there and can go about their lives without interruption or discomfort from the device,” said Dr. Lieberman. “Additionally, the device has the ability to communicate wirelessly with the patient’s physician via the MyCareLink™ Patient Monitor while the patient is sleeping, allowing them to continue living their lives normally, even when travelling away from home.”
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.
“We’re proud to bring this state-of-the-art technology to Detroit,” Said Dr. Theodore Schreiber, President of DMC Cardiovascular Institute and the DMC Heart Hospital, opening in the summer of 2014. “The device revolutionizes the whole clinical approach to the workup and management of symptoms potentially caused by arrhythmias of the heart, and is likely to prevent many, many strokes due to atrial fibrillation. It’s an example of how we are dedicated to the consistently delivering the best heart care to this region, as soon as it becomes available.”
Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January, 2014, the Reveal LINQ™ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) from Medtronic is approximately one-third the size of an AAA battery (~1 cc), making it more than 80 percent smaller than other ICMs currently available. 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. In addition to its continuous and wireless monitoring capabilities, the system provides remote monitoring and notifies physicians if patients have significant cardiac events between regular medical appointments.
