TREATMENTS › HEART RHYTHM & DEVICES
Implantable Loop Recorder — Catching the Rhythm Problems That Hide
Some of the most important rhythm problems happen only occasionally and disappear before a standard test can catch them. A loop recorder is a tiny monitor placed just under the skin that watches your rhythm continuously for up to about three years.
When it helps
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Unexplained fainting or near-fainting (syncope)
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Palpitations that come and go and haven't been captured
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Suspected atrial fibrillation that hasn't been confirmed; stroke without a clear cause
What to expect
Through a tiny incision, the small device is inserted just under the skin of the chest using local anesthesia, in our office-based lab — and you go home the same day. It monitors continuously and transmits data remotely, so your rhythm is reviewed without frequent visits. Heart Rhythm Disorders →
From diagnosis to treatment — in one device
A loop recorder is powerful because what it finds points straight to the treatment that helps:
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Hidden atrial fibrillation → a stroke-preventing blood thinner. AFib often comes and goes silently. Catching it lets us switch to the medicine that actually prevents strokes — a change that wouldn’t happen without the finding.
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Slow rhythms or long pauses → a pacemaker. Fainting and falls are often caused by pauses too brief and infrequent for a short monitor to catch. Documenting one points directly to a pacemaker.
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Rhythm tracking over time → better-tuned treatment. Seeing how much AFib you have, and when, guides rate- and rhythm-control decisions and confirms whether a treatment is working.
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Nothing found → reassurance and a new direction. A quiet monitor over two to three years effectively rules out a rhythm cause and redirects the search.
Why continuous monitoring finds what short tests miss
Short-term monitors — a day or two, or a couple of weeks — only see what happens while they are worn. A loop recorder watches for years, which is why it catches far more of the intermittent rhythm problems that cause strokes, fainting, and sudden events.
Frequently asked questions
For referring providers — We welcome referrals for syncope workup, palpitation evaluation, and AFib detection (including cryptogenic stroke). Refer: (918) 943-5303 · fax (855) 312-3594.