London: Suffers of heart illnesses now have access to a new service which offers remote monitoring of their condition – saving time and money on frequent medical visits.

The Reveal device, is a heart monitor that is implanted under the skin,which can now be linked to the Medtronic CareLink network which means that people suspected of having a heart condition can be assessed remotely by downloading data from the implanted monitor and can be directly accessed on the hospital’s computer system.

This means fewer trips to hospital for patients and huge potential bsavings for Britain’s National Health Service – saving both precious hospital time and resources.

There are approximately 2 million people in the UK with cardiac arrhythmias – a condition where the heart beats too fast, too slow or with an irregular beat. This can lead to sudden cardiac death which claims approximately 100,000 lives a year in the UK.

Identifying people with suspected arrhythmia earlier could save lives, though at present, currently only 8,500 people in the UK have such an implant fitted.

A pre-launch trial of the system found that 97% of patients preferred remote monitoring to hospital visits.

“This advance in technology will give patients suspected of having cardiac syncope more security and peace of mind about their heart devices,” says Trudie Lobban founder of STARS (Syncope Trust And Reflex Anoxic Seizures), adding that “For health professionals this will extend the reach of cardiovascular patient care beyond the clinic walls, and opens up new ways for doctors to treat patients.”

For more information on the Reveal device and the CareLink network, visit www.medtronic.co.uk and for more information on syncope and reflex anoxic seizures visit www.stars.org.uk