It was a first for the Netherlands at Catharina Hospital last week.
The first patient in the country received a subcutaneous Bluetooth heart monitor. The device is linked to the patient’s mobile phone. That allows the hospital to monitor the patient remotely.
Patients with abnormal heart rhythms can use this small, wireless heart monitor. These people experience symptoms like dizziness, palpitations, fainting, and chest pain. They require long-term monitoring.
Two matches
The device is the size of two matches and is implanted under the person’s skin into the chest. Cardiologist Dr Tim Simmers placed the first of these subcutaneous Bluetooth heart monitors. The procedure takes less than ten minutes under local anaesthetic.
The monitor connects to an app. It continuously and very accurately records ECG (electrocardiogram – a test of your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity) data. The device shares this information with the hospital’s health team.
It will also show any arrhythmia. “This heart monitor communicates with the hospital’s remote care department”, says Dr Simmers. “That’s via the patient’s mobile phone.”
“A transmitter that patients have to keep on their bedside table is usually used. In this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s good that we can monitor heart patients remotely.” The monitor lasts for more than four years.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Melinda Walraven
