Loop Monitor

[Health2512]

I have just been offered a loop monitor because I have Atrial Fibrillation

Does anyone have any experience of these monitors

[mav7]

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

No experience, but above link has previous threads on the subject.

[quanglewangle]

This is what I replied to Rothwell who posted a similar item 3 days ago. here it is anyway

I have had AF since around 2010 that progressed to permanent somewhere along the way. following some episodes of weakness I was given an ILR and this detected occasional heart stoppages of up to 14 seconds that coincided with faints and a blackout - hence a pacemaker and I am now on my second (they are replaced 7-10 years when the continuous monitoring shows it is time. The ILR was also monitored remotely and was removed at the same time as the pacemaker was inserted.

While the faints were happening I stopped driving and was cautious when crossing the road, but as already advised in other comments simply having an ILR or pacemaker should not stop you driving or travelling as long as you notify the appropriate people. The whole purpose of pacemakers and Defibrillator pacemakers is that we can continue to function normally and I guess the same applies to diabetes control devices. The ILR like an intelligent watch simply monitors what is going on and is irrelevant until or unless something awry is detected.....

[JaneFinn]

I’ve had two Implanted Loop Recorders (ILR) each of them lasted about 3 years (battery life). I’ll be forever grateful to have had them, because they identified some types of arrhythmia that had been worrying me for years but never captured on the portable Holter monitors.

I’m sorry I can’t say much about the procedure as I was given the antiquated system as it was 12 years ago. Nowadays I understand you’re virtually in and out, with a minimally invasive procedure to inject the device into place. And it is monitored wirelessly from home too.

Hopefully someone who has had it more recently will fill you in more. (And/or, if you put “ILR” or “implanted loop recorder” or words like that into the search, you will find what other people have written previously.)

An ILR is usually recommended when there have been significant symptoms such as blacking out, or to identify types of arrhythmia, and frequency and severity. It takes the guesswork and insecurity out of every event, and all the random flutters and blips, which I find very reassuring. And the cardiologist knows what they are working with then!

So to me it’s a procedure I was very thankful to have. Good luck J x

[Miamigrammy305]

I was offered an ILR and turned it down because I thought it was really not needed. I was having very few problems that I knew of, unlike many people on this forum. After going to the ER with a resting heart rate of 157 while sitting calmly in my chair at home, the ER nurse caught A Flutter on the heart monitor. Fast forward to an ablation which ended up being a three way ablation for A Flutter, A Fib and a third one which I cannot remember the name of. After having a follow-up Holter monitor a few months later, it was recommended that I get an ILR. This time I followed the advice of my cardiologist.It was a very simple procedure. Local numbing and it was implanted and I was on my way. The breast tissue was sore for a few days and I carefully used ice packs to numb the area but it was a very minor procedure. Mammograms were no problem with the loop. Thank goodness I got it. Found out within 3 weeks of getting the ILR, that my heart was taking little breaks as I slept. Who knew? Bradycardia. Within a couple of weeks, one day after our 53rd wedding anniversary, I received a two-lead pacemaker that has been my little buddy keeping my heart in line. They removed the almost brand new loop since the pacemaker has a similar technology built into it to report any future problems to my doctor's office. I believe the ILR saved my life by spotting a problem I had no idea I had. I wonder with this type of technology available to detect unknown problems, why we don't all get them at a certain age to detect fixable heart problems before they happen. It is like having a smoke detector or fire alarm to alert you and protect you. I was a skeptic and now feel like an ILR advocate. Good luck with your procedure. As a bonus, I got to tell my grandkids that I was blue tooth enabled. That kinda impressed them.