An implantable heart monitor is a small, paper-clip-sized device placed under the skin of your chest to record your heart’s electrical activity over a long period of time.
Doctors use these devices when heart rhythm problems or symptoms do not happen often enough to be captured by short-term monitors.
Why Is an Implantable Heart Monitor Used?
An implantable heart monitor helps your care team identify heart rhythm problems that occur infrequently, unpredictably, or without warning.
Your doctor may recommend this device if you have:
- Suspected atrial fibrillation (AFib): An irregular heart rhythm that can increase stroke risk.
- Unexplained fainting (syncope): Especially when the cause is unclear after initial testing.
- Palpitations: Sensations of a racing, fluttering, or irregular heartbeat.
- Dizziness or near-fainting episodes: That may be related to heart rhythm changes.
- Stroke of unknown cause: To check for silent or intermittent AFib.
Because these symptoms may happen weeks or months apart, long-term monitoring gives doctors a much better chance of finding the cause.
The Insertion Procedure
Getting the monitor is a quick, minor procedure that usually takes about 30 minutes.
- Anesthesia: You will be awake, but the chest area is numbed so you do not feel pain.
- Placement: The doctor makes a tiny cut to slide the device under the skin, then closes it with glue, tape, or dissolving stitches.
- Recovery: Most patients go home the same day and can return to normal activities once the wound has healed.
How It Works
Depending on the model, the device records heart rhythms in two ways:
- Automatically: It detects abnormal rhythms on its own and records them.
- Manually: You use a handheld activator to record when you feel symptoms.
The Symptom Diary: You may be asked to log when symptoms occur and what you were doing at the time. This helps your doctor match symptoms with the recorded heart rhythm.
Once enough information is collected to make a diagnosis, the device is removed.
Living with the Monitor
The “6-Inch Rule”
Most household appliances are safe. However, keep the following at least 6 inches away from your chest:
- Cell phones
- Power tools
- Magnets
Medical ID: You will receive an ID card for the device. Carry it with you and inform all healthcare providers that you have an implant.
When to Call Your Doctor
Call your doctor if you notice signs of infection at the insertion site:
- Increasing pain, swelling, or warmth
- Redness or red streaks spreading from the site
- Pus or drainage
- Fever