Heart Societies update guidelines to support cardiac monitors for syncope patients

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that new guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society now recommend the use of cardiac monitors for patients with syncope.

The updated guidelines for patients with syncope, or unexplained fainting, was published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation and HeartRhythm.

Medtronic said that the new guidelines support the use of its Seeq MCT system, a wireless continuous external heart monitor that can be worn up to 30 days, and its Reveal Linq ICM with TruRhythm detection, an implantable monitor placed just beneath the skin which allows for wireless monitoring for up to 3 years.

“The causes of syncope can be difficult to diagnose as episodes are usually infrequent and unpredictable. Detection with short-term monitoring techniques is often unsuccessful and, as a result, patients may see several different specialists and undergo multiple tests without receiving a conclusive diagnosis. When the cause of syncope is unclear, continuous long-term cardiac monitoring has become the standard of care, particularly in early stages of evaluation,” Dr. David Benditt of the University of Minnesota’s Cardiac Arrhythmia Center said in a prepared statement.

The new guidelines recommend both external and implantable cardiac monitors based on the frequency of symptoms, with implantable cardiac monitors receiving a stronger recommendation based on evidence from randomized controlled trials of such devices, Medtronic said.

“Medtronic is committed to bringing meaningful innovations that help patients lead healthier lives, while providing clinicians with the best tools so that they can efficiently and effectively diagnose and treat their patients,” Medtronic patient monitoring & diagnostics VP & GM Nina Goodheart said in a press release.

The company won FDA approval for a next-gen Reveal Linq insertable cardiac monitor with TruRhythm Detection last week.

The Linq ICM with TruRhythm Detection offers exclusive algorithms which the company said resulted in a 95% reduction in false bradycardia episodes and a 47% reduction in false pause episodes compared with the previous-gen version of the device.

Last September, Medtronic launched the Linq device in Japan after winning approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare.

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