Piedmont Medical 1st in region to offer injectable heart monitor

The biggest benefit of the Reveal LINQ is it can record up to three years worth of data, Singhi said.

"One of the biggest frustrations in cardiology today, is you can reach a diagnosis about 10 percent of the time with the current data," Singhi said.

The current protocol for people with an irregular heartbeat, an unexplained stroke or passing out spells is to take an electrocardiogram to check for problems with heart's electrical activity. Abnormal electrical activity can be used to diagnose symptoms of heart disease.

EKGs are often followed by longer heart rhythm studies. A small chest monitor can record data up to 48 hours and there is also a recorder that keeps four weeks of data.

The difficulty, Singhi said, is the symptoms of heart problems often present themselves at longer time intervals.

In 60 percent to 70 percent of the cases, patients complaining about irregular heartbeats or fainting "need some kind of intervention," Singhi said.

Intervention can range from installing a pacemaker to putting a patient on medicine to thin the blood, reducing the possibility of a stroke, he said.

The monitor uses satellite technology to report data to a cardiologist's office. The data can be monitored as frequently as needed, Singhi said.

The cost of the Reveal LINQ is about $5,000, which should be included in most insurance plans, Singhi said.

Don Worthington --803-329-4066

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