Las Palmas Medical Center First in El Paso to Use Miniature Cardiac Monitor

EL PASO, Texas, July 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Las Palmas Medical Center recently became the first hospital in El Paso, and one of the first hospitals in the state, to implant the Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System, also known as a loop recorder, in a patient. This device, used in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), is the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available that monitors cardiac rhythms on a loop.

The Reveal LINQ ICM is approximately one-third the size of a AAA battery, making it more than 80 percent smaller than other ICMs. While significantly smaller, the device is part of a powerful system that allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient's heart for up to three years, with 20 percent more data memory than its larger predecessor.

"AFib is one of the most common and undertreated heart rhythm disorders in America," Francisco Gonzalez, M.D. and a board-certified electrophysiologist at Las Palmas Medical Center, said. "When left untreated, AFib increases the chance of stroke and heart failure. Through a minimally invasive insertion procedure, this loop recorder gives AFib patients comfort knowing that their heart is constantly being monitored."

Placed just beneath the skin through a small incision of less than 1 cm in the upper left side of the chest, the loop recorder is often nearly invisible to the naked eye once inserted. In addition to its continuous and wireless monitoring capabilities, the system provides remote monitoring through the Carelink^® Network. Through this network, physicians can request notifications to alert them if their patients have had cardiac events.

For more information, please visit LPDSHealthcare.com.

Las Palmas Medical Center
Las Palmas Medical Center, located at 1801 N. Oregon, is part of Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, the leading healthcare provider for El Paso and the surrounding region, with physicians, nurses and staff who are committed to delivering the highest quality patient care available. With 316 beds, this full-service, acute care hospital offers comprehensive medical services in nearly every specialty including a certified stroke program, pediatric intensive care, award-winning maternity, cardiology and neuroscience. Las Palmas Medical Center is also known for cutting-edge robotic surgery and the region's only kidney transplant program. For more information, please visit LPDSHealthcare.com.

Media Contacts:
Levente McCrary or Hannah White
Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
512.472.9599

SOURCE Las Palmas Medical Center