Loop Recorder Implantation
Why am I being offered a loop recorder?
We generally use loop recorders as a way of monitoring the patient’s heart rhythm 365 days of the year. They were initially invented and designed for patients’ who were having infrequent blackouts. The concept being that we could capture the heart rhythm in the event that somebody had a further blackout. All too often patients who are investigated for blackouts have a normal baseline set of investigations (typically when they don’t have any symptoms) so a loop recorder is a good way of continuing to monitor the heart rhythm when they are an outpatient.
We also occasionally use loop recorders for patients who have very distressing rapid heart rhythms. We normally try to capture these abnormal rhythms initially via an ambulatory heart recorder (heart monitor) but if the palpitations are very infrequent sometimes a loop recorder is a good way of being able to capture them as they will be missed on an ambulatory recorder. Below you will examples of the commonly commonly used loop recorder implant. The original loop recorder was approximately the size of a USB computer stick but has now been minimised to an injectable loop (LINQ) recorder – seen below (images).
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Experienced
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Professional
Trusted
Take a look at Davids profile on iWantGreatCare and see what others have said about his work.
Experienced
David is one of the UK’s most active doctors in the field, performing an impressive volume of procedures each year.
Still have some questions?
If you still have some unanswered questions or a general query about this specific condition please get in contact and we can give you anymore information you require.
FAQ's
The vast majority of loop recorders are implanted under local anaesthetic only. The chest wall is prepared with antiseptic solution and a very small incision is made (approximately 4-5mm across) through which we inject the loop recorder under the skin. No stitches are required to close the wound and simple surgical glue is applied to the skin to seal the wound.
The wound is typically covered with a dry dressing for 24 hours. You can have a bath or shower but avoid getting the wound wet for 2-3 days to allow the glue to fully harden and give you full protection from infection. Try not to pick at the wound and allow the glue to fall off naturally (typically takes 2-3 weeks). It’s not uncommon to have some discomfort around the wound site for a few days afterwards and simple pain killers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen (if you have no contraindications to these) can be used. If you have any concerns about the wound itself please contact the hospital where the device was implanted on the patient information leaflets you would have been given at discharge.
The loop recorder has two principal functions. It will automatically record either very fast or very slow heart rates without you having to do anything. The other function is for you to make a manual activation of the loop recorder function. You will be given a patient activator (Picture 1). You will be given full instructions on how to use this before you are discharged from hospital. This allows you to make a recording of the heartbeat in the event you have a “funny turn”. Don’t worry if you have collapsed and then make the recording a minute or two later – the idea behind the loop recorder is that the data is continually stored so providing the activator is pressed soon after the collapse it will have captured the heart rhythm at the time of the event.
You will be shown how to use this on the ward prior to discharge. To use the activator you push the central button (Picture 1). The blue light on the top right will light up (marked 2 on the diagram). This blue light will show that the activator is searching for your loop recorder. The idea is that you place the activator over the chest where the loop recorder is and providing that you are close to the site of the loop recorder you will not need to remove any clothes for the activator to pick up the signal from the loop recorder.
Once the activator has successfully located your loop recorder (ie; you are within close proximity of it) the green light will appear at number 3 on the diagram. Once the green light has lit up you can move your activator away from your chest wall. You do not need to worry about repeating the activator stop the symptom recording as the loop recorder will store a predetermined period of heart rhythm without you having to do anything further.
You would have been discharged from hospital with a CARELINK monitor. This looks a little like a home modem and is similar in size and appearance. This account will be set up so it is twinned to the hospital database where you had your loop recorder implanted. You will be shown how to send downloads to our central computer and you can contact the hospital where you had your device implanted to let them know you have sent a download.
The loop recorder battery life is approximately three years. Naturally that gives us the ability to monitor your heart rate for this length of time. Some patients who have a loop recorder implanted may have one of their typical events for which they had it injected under the skin early on. If there is a clear answer as to why you have been having collapses (perhaps your heart stops for a few seconds) your doctor will inform you as soon as that information is available to what course of action is necessary. Sometimes drug therapy is recommended for the abnormality found on the loop recorder sometimes patients require a permanent pacemaker. We can continue monitoring your heart until an answer to the cause of your blackouts becomes clear.
Sometimes we find that in actual fact the heart is not responsible for your blackouts and after a period of monitoring if this seems to be the case you can ask to have your loop recorder removed.
