The Gates Vascular Institute has become the first facility in Western New York to install a new cardiac monitoring device. What is known as the Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor is a tiny, nearly-invisible, wireless mechanism that is planted below the skin on a patient's chest. The device monitors heart activity that can provide doctors with valuable information regarding a variety of ailments.
Christine Fenzel, who received this first local implant, suffers from syncope, a condition that causes her to fall unconscious without significant warning. It was the seriousness of her condition that made her a candidate for the procedure.
Fenzel describes her situation: "I was on medication before, and it kind of stopped working. So, I had an incident, probably a good month-and-a-half ago, I would say, and I passed out twice in one night. So, then I went to the hospital, and Dr. Switzer recommended that I get the Reveal put in."
The 30-year-old Fenzel will wear the device for up to three years, giving her doctors very specific readings on her heart activity both leading up to and following an episode.
The operation is minimally invasive and Fenzel said that she recovered from the procedure in 24 hours. The Reveal LINQ is being recommended for patients who suffer dizziness and palpitations that could indicate a cardiac arrhythmia.
