Medtronic is launching its tiny Reveal LINQ heart monitor globally following U.S. FDA and Euroepan CE mark clearance.
Background
The Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System is a five times smaller than the previous smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device at approximately one-third the size of an AAA battery (~1 cc). The Reveal LINQ ICM is inserted through a tiny incision and is often nearly invisible to the naked eye once in place. Yet still it allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient’s heart for up to three years, with 20 percent more data memory than its larger predecessor, Reveal® XT, about which we were writing only the other day.
The advent of global cellular technology has been accompanied by a veritable explosion in remote monitoring technology and supporting networks. Medtronic’s system provides remote monitoring through the Carelink® Network, through which physicians can request notifications to alert them if their patients have had cardiac events.
And when Medtronic refers to a global launch, it means global, the system including the new MyCareLink™ Patient Monitor, which it describes as a simplified remote monitoring system with global cellular technology that transmits patients’ cardiac device diagnostic data to their clinicians from nearly any location in the world.
Physician comments
“The Reveal LINQ ICM monitor can help patients find answers to problems that may be heart-related without interrupting their lifestyle,” said Rod Passman, M.D., professor and associate director of cardiac electrophysiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “The simplified procedure and insertion tools make the device faster and easier for physicians to implant, which may expand access to more patients needing long-term monitoring.”
Company comments
“This miniaturized monitoring system is the result of many years of product development work from engineers focused on shrinking the size of medical devices while maintaining their power and improving benefits for patients,” said Pat Mackin, president of the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business and senior vice president at Medtronic. “This is game-changing technology for patients who need cardiac monitoring, and we look forward to providing them with the most technologically advanced and minimally invasive approach possible.”
Source: Medtronic, Inc.
published: February 20, 2014 in: Approval/Clearance, Cardio, Launches / Withdrawals, Medtronic