St. Luke's Lakeside Hospital is First in Montgomery County to Use the FDA-Approved LINQ - Insertable Cardiac Monitoring System

St. Luke's Lakeside Hospital announced last week that it's the first hospital in The Woodlands and Montgomery County, TX, to begin using a micro-sized insertable cardiac monitoring device that enhances a physician's ability to diagnose and treat even the most hard-to-detect cardiac arrhythmias.  The procedure was performed by Sanjay Patel, MD, board-certified Interventional Cardiologist.

“This new LINQ heart monitor is an amazing breakthrough in cardiac monitoring, and will allow us to manage patients with ease and confidence,” remarked Dr. Patel. “The LINQ is a true ‘link' between physician and patient.”

The device is approximately one-third the size of a AAA battery, making it more than 80 percent smaller than other monitoring devices.  While significantly smaller, the implant is part of a powerful system that allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient's heart for up to three years. 

Implanting the device is a minimally invasive procedure, taking just minutes from start to finish, eliminating the need for general anesthesia, or for the patient to stay overnight in the hospital. The LINQ cardiac monitoring system allows the physician to more closely monitor patients suffering from irregular heart rate, palpitations, syncope or cryptogenic stroke. The monitor also is MRI conditional, allowing patients with this device to be able to undergo MRIs if needed. 

The most common type of heart arrhythmia is called AFib (atrial fibrillation), and affects approximately 2.7 million Americans.  The most common cause of stroke from an irregular heartbeat is AFib, which can cause blood clots to form in the heart that can move from the heart to the brain, blocking a blood vessel and causing a stroke. Treatment for AFib focuses in part on reducing the risk of stroke.  It's important for patients to know and manage all risk factors for stroke.

St. Luke's Lakeside Hospital, located in The Woodlands, TX, provides quality patient care focused on cardiology, orthopedics, spine care and sports medicine.

For more information contact Debra Hageman Staley at [email protected].