Implantable Loop Recording

Overview

An implantable loop recorder is a medical device placed beneath the skin through a small incision on the chest wall. It is used to record data about heart events over a long period of time—up to two years. This type of monitoring can help diagnose someone with infrequent symptoms potentially related to electrical events of the heart.

An implantable loop recorder reads your heart's electrical activity like a Holter monitor and event monitor. Your heart has an electrical system that functions like a natural pacemaker. Electrical signals travel through the heart's chambers to cause it to beat. If the heart’s natural electrical system is not functioning correctly, an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia) may result.

The implantable loop recorder continuously monitors the heart's electrical activity and automatically begins recording information when the heart’s patterns change. Alternatively, your doctor may instruct you to turn on the device’s recording function by using an external “activator,” a handheld device that you hold over the site on your chest where the recorder has been implanted.