HICKORY, NC – May 5, 2014 —Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC)
today announced its first patient to receive an innovative heart monitor.
The Medtronic Reveal LINQ™ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) is the
smallest long-term heart monitor available for patients with recurrent
fainting, heart palpitations, unexplained stroke or atrial fibrillation.
Cardiologist Derek Luney, MD successfully implanted the ICM in a patient
on Monday, making CVMC first in the region to offer this outpatient procedure.
“Reveal LINQ offers a quantum step forward in diagnosing and treating
irregular heartbeats,” said Dr. Luney. “In this case, a 66
year-old male from Conover came to the CVMC Emergency Department with
symptoms of syncope, or unexplained fainting. Previous cardiac monitoring
devices required minor surgery to implant, but the insertion technique
for this ICM greatly simplifies this with a procedure that takes about
five minutes with patients fully awake.”
1st patient receives new insertable cardiac monitor at Catawba Valley Medical
Center through outpatient procedure performed by cardiologist, Derek Luney, MD.
Reveal LINQ, approximately one-third the size of a AAA battery, is at least
80 percent smaller than other ICMs. The device provides continuous and
wireless monitoring of a patient’s heart for up to three years with
20 percent more data memory than prior versions. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) cleared this new solution in January.
Long-term monitoring of patients with irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
provides doctors the opportunity to treat a number of heart-related conditions.
As data is continuously collected and transmitted wirelessly, an ICM can
help reveal causes of unknown fainting spells or minimize strokes. Atrial
fibrillation, a known stroke risk factor, can be confirmed by data from
an ICM, allowing doctors the chance to prescribe blood thinners preventatively.
Tony Rose, CVMC President and CEO said, “This advancement in the
field of cardiac disease management follows our recent attainment of Chest
Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
(SCPC). Along with CVMC’s Primary Stroke Center status, we view
these collective achievements as proof of our commitment towards offering
the highest standards of care for cardiac patients in this community.”