The Naked Heart

How an ILR Works
An ILR is a matchstick-sized device implanted under the skin of the chest, usually under local anaesthetic in a brief outpatient procedure. Once in place, it continuously monitors the heart’s electrical activity, storing recordings of any abnormal events it detects automatically or when triggered by the patient using a handheld activator.
Modern ILRs have:

Automatic arrhythmia detection algorithms
Wireless home monitoring (transmitting daily summaries to the cardiology team)
Battery life of 2–4 years
MRI-compatibility in most cases

When to Consider an ILR
An ILR may be recommended if you:

Have unexplained syncope with inconclusive standard tests
Have had a cryptogenic stroke, TIA, or TGA, where AF is suspected but not proven
Have infrequent but concerning palpitations that evade short-term monitoring
Have suspected intermittent AV block or sinus pauses

 
Full blog article 

Show Notes

How an ILR Works

An ILR is a matchstick-sized device implanted under the skin of the chest, usually under local anaesthetic in a brief outpatient procedure. Once in place, it continuously monitors the heart’s electrical activity, storing recordings of any abnormal events it detects automatically or when triggered by the patient using a handheld activator.

Modern ILRs have:

  • Automatic arrhythmia detection algorithms
  • Wireless home monitoring (transmitting daily summaries to the cardiology team)
  • Battery life of 2–4 years
  • MRI-compatibility in most cases
When to Consider an ILR

An ILR may be recommended if you:

  • Have unexplained syncope with inconclusive standard tests
  • Have had a cryptogenic stroke, TIA, or TGA, where AF is suspected but not proven
  • Have infrequent but concerning palpitations that evade short-term monitoring
  • Have suspected intermittent AV block or sinus pauses

 

Full blog article 

What is The Naked Heart?

The Naked Heart is a weekly series of blogs and social media publications from English cardiologist Dr Edward Leatham. His brief is to apply 50 years of breathing and practicing medicine to the series as part of a move from cardiologist and physician to educator.

The podcast publications that accompany each blog are AI constructs designed to broaden my audience and make quite complicated yet important knowledge more accessible.

The blog articles release each week provide additional information for readers https://www.scvc.co.uk/category/naked-heart/

Podcasts until Jan 2026 are located at https://Nakedheart.podbean.com

Podcasts after Jan 2026 are located at https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-naked-heart