Continuous monitoring of your heart rhythm
A loop recorder is a device that’s implanted underneath the skin of your chest to record your heart rhythm for up to three years. Your doctor may recommend using one if other tests haven’t found a cause for symptoms such as fainting or heart palpitations, the sensation that the heart rate is skipping, slowing down, or racing. It is often used to help evaluate and manage atrial fibrillation (AFib). It can also be used to help diagnose the cause of stroke in patients that have no other clear cause.
Continuously monitoring your heart rhythm over a long period of time can detect abnormalities that occur infrequently and may not show up during a standard electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) in your doctor’s office.
The monitor is remotely followed by our team of doctors and nurses.
What to expect if you have an implantable loop recorder?
Implanting a loop recorder is a minor surgical procedure. You’ll receive a local anesthetic to numb an area on your chest, and the doctor will make a small incision to place the loop recorder, which is the size of a small battery. The incision will be closed with either steri-strips or sutures, and you should be able to go home within an hour after placement.
The device will record your heart’s electrical impulses, and a transmissions monitor will automatically transmit them at scheduled times to your doctor.
Treatments
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Arrhythmia Treatments (Heart Rhythm): Treatments for arrhythmias or heart rhythm disorders such as minimally invasive procedures, implantable devices, and surgery, vary based on the type and severity of your condition.
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Cardiac Ablation: Cardiac ablation uses heat or cold to destroy heart tissue causing abnormal heart rhythms known as arrhythmias.
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Pacemaker: A pacemaker is a device that helps control various types of heart rhythm disorders.
Our providers
Expert cardiology care
Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our cardiologists.
Additional information
Electrophysiology program
We are leaders in developing and using the latest procedures and technologies to treat heart rhythm disorders, and our cardiac electrophysiology laboratory is one of the most sophisticated in North America.
Ask MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
Have general questions for our heart and vascular program? Email us at AskMHVI@medstar.net. If you have clinically-specific questions, please contact your physician’s office.