New device can provide real-time ECG

Having to keep tabs on a person’s electrocardiogram (ECG) at the time of fainting is believed to be crucial by medical professionals. And to do this, is a challenge in the field of medical science. A new device Reveal LINQ by Medtronics appears to hold some promise.

Should it get the necessary approvals from the Drug Controller General of India, the medical device, which could be embedded in a person’s skin would keep track of the person’s functioning of the heart.

Shamik Dasgupta, Vice President of the Cardiac and Vascular Group, Medtronic, South Asia said, “Sometimes, patients faint for reasons unknown. When they go to the doctor and are asked to come back with an ECG, it will all be normal. What is essential is to capture the ECG at the moment of fainting and just before that,” he said.

For patients who happen to faint frequently, Reveal LINQ, the insertable Cardiac Monitor could help assess the functioning at a time specified.

The device is inserted subcutaneously in the chest area and can keep track of the data for nearly three years. While in a few cases, it might be detected in one go, in the others, it depends on the intervals at which a person faints.

Utility
Not only is the device MRI safe, it also automatically detects and records abnormal heart rhythms.

The product was among the many others on display at Medtronic’s innovation village at the second medical device summit in New Delhi. The leadless pacemaker, which is presently being used in Hong Kong and is awaiting approval by the FDA, was also on display at the village. Known to be among the smallest pacemakers, these are just about the size of a capsule. 

Dr Atul Matur, Director, Department of Interventional Cardiology Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, who spoke at the inaugural said that with increasing number of cardio-vascular disease patients, there was a great need for such devices. He said, “At least 57 per cent of the disease burden comes from the non-communicable diseases category.”