Implantable loop recorder

Hi I am having an implantable loop recorder fitter on Saturday to monitor my Palpatations. Has anyone had one of these fitted and do they do any known damage to your heart?

[Shoshov]

hi i had one fitted last year due to dizzy spells. so far it hasn’t picked anything up. as fat as i know it doesn’t cause any harm to the heart as it’s only implanted in your chest close to the heart. you don’t even know it’s there after a while. it has the added bonus of home monitoring which i find reassuring. good luck. you’ll be fine ❤️shiona

[Hidden in reply to Shoshov]

Thank you for you reply it is very reassuring.

[Bigdan]

I had one fitted after fainting spells for about 3 months when it picked up a 15sec pause. Haven't heard anything about them damaging heart...it saved my life really.

[Gowers]

I've had mine for 18 months & feel very fortunate - it picked up af/flutter & various other issues. Cardiologist was able to pinpoint the effect various medications was having on heart & treat accordingly. Previous holter monitors didn't pick up anything like this. Great too that if you go into af/flutter at the press of the indicator it is recorded. So many folk have never heard of them. Not heard they can cause problems.

[siouxbee19]

I had one, no problems. It is solely a monitoring/recording device, just implanted under the skin, not with leads into your heart like a therapeutic device, i.e. ICD, pacemaker, etc...

Hope that helps, you'll do just fine!🌻

[Ianc2]

I had one fitted last week under a local anaesthetic, as a day procedure. Anything that gives my cardiologist more accurate information has to be a good thing?

[GCWhits]

I had one fitted a month ago and used the Patient Assistant device for the first time today. I’m not entirely sure about the technology and how it works, as I was given very little information and the procedure was bit rushed. I had looked online for information beforehand and seen pictures and videos, but they all featured men. As a woman, I was surprised to find the device had been implanted in my left breast- I wasn’t expecting that, thought it would go underneath.

[Hidden in reply to GCWhits]

Hi there

I have now had mine fitted for the last five months but it is fitted above my left breast.

When you use your patient assistance device it actually records the time you have an episode so that when the main machine is downloaded by you local hospital during the night it flags the actually time you had your episode so they can see if it’s abnormal. You should also have been told to download each month yourself to the hospital.

I had to ring the helpline once when I had used the assistance device and they were able to look at the recording and tell me that they looked like ectopic palpitations but connected me to the cardiology department who also reassured me.

The ILR last for approximately three years and then is either replaced if your consultant request or removed if you wish as the battery will have expired.

Hope this information helps

[GCWhits]

Thanks for your reply and info. I certainly wasn't told to downloaded anything myself once a month and the only helpline number I have is the one on the box and that looks like a US number ...I'll try to contact the hospital tomorrow and hopefully someone can advise me.

[Fluffybee]

👋

I had an implantable loop recorder about 6 years ago, it just goes under the skin, it’s not attached to any wires at all, it’s about the size of a usb stick.

You have a little device that you hold onto your loop recorder if you feel anything abnormal, while doing this the recorder is continuing to record just notes you’ve acknowledged a problem.

The one I had recorded 7.5 minutes at a time then wiped itself clear and began again and kept repeating, ie loop recorder. If it picks up a problem and you don’t it picks up on that by itself as well and stores it.

I was pretty impressed with mine as I live about an hours drive from the hospital and I could use mine through the phone.

Just plugged it into the phone line and it sent it through that was, it instantly got picked up by the hospital for them to look at. Pretty amazing.

Good luck with having yours done, it’s a quick procedure.

Let me know how you get on

[Beejaysee]

hi Shosov, after a number of sudden blackouts and all the usual cardio tests, I had a loop recorder fitted and a month later I blacked out again and the loop recorder picked up that I had complete heart block (so now have a pacemaker).

The loop recorder was a simple procedure under local anaesthetic and it was unnoticeable - no one ever said it could harm my heart, it just sits beside the heart and monitors the heart.

A lifesaver in my case! Good luck 👍

[Beejaysee in reply to Beejaysee]

sorry, replied to Shosov rather than “hidden” 😕