William Harvey Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital have become one of the first hospitals in the country – and the first in Kent – to implant the smallest cardiac monitoring device available in patients.
The wireless miniature device, manufactured by Medtronic, is one-third the size of a AAA battery and nearly invisible to the naked eye for most patients once implanted. It allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient’s heart rhythm for up to three years.
The monitor is being implanted in patients who experience symptoms such as dizziness, palpitation or unexplained fainting in whom the short term cardiac monitoring or routine ECG did not provide a diagnosis. The device is placed underneath the skin using a minimally invasive insertion procedure. Patients could undergo MRI imaging later in life if needed.
Dr Mehran Asgari, Senior Specialty Doctor in Cardiology, carried out the first implant at the William Harvey Hospital on Tuesday 25 February. “The procedure went very well and compared to previous implants, the patient recovered almost immediately. This thin device is only about 4cm long. The implant procedure only requires a local anesthetic, with minimal risk of bleeding or infection plus there is no need for suturing. The whole implant can be done in just a couple of minutes,” he said.
A further eight patients received the implant at the QEQM hospital on Thursday 27 February led by Dr Konrad Grosser, Consultant Cardiologist and his team of registrars. Dr Grosser said, “This new implant is quicker and less risky to implant, sends daily data for quicker diagnosis and has an almost indiscernible scar”.
