Medtronic’s Insertable Heart Monitor Shows Improved A-Fib Detection

A real-world study of Medtronic’s Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitor shows greater detection of atrial fibrillation than a recent clinical trial, the Irish devicemaker said Wednesday.

The real-world observational study evaluated 1,247 stroke patients in the U.S. to see whether AF could be detected using long-term continuous cardiac monitoring. At 182 days of monitoring, AF was detected in 147 patients — a detection rate of 12.2 percent and 37 percent higher than that observed in the Crystal AF trial at the same point, the company said.

“Unlike a randomized study, an observational study provides a practical way to study real-world clinical practice,” said study co-author Mark Richards, director of Arrhythmia Services at ProMedica Physicians Cardiology in Toledo, Ohio. “The results suggest that AF may go undetected at an even greater rate, reinforcing the benefits of long-term rhythm monitoring in cryptogenic stroke patients,” he added.

Patients with AF, or rapid heartbeats, are five times more likely to have a stroke than people without the condition. Of the 692,000 Americans with ischemic strokes each year, 20 percent to 40 percent are cryptogenic — or of unknown cause — and AF is believed to be a common reason. — Kellen Owings