A loop recorder is the easiest cardiac device to live with. After the small implant procedure, you should not feel it again. Most patients forget it is there.

This short handbook covers the few things that matter: what the device records, how to send a tracing when you feel symptoms, what the home transmitter does, and when to call us.

An implantable loop recorder is a small, USB-stick-sized monitor placed just under the skin on the left side of the chest. It records a continuous loop of your heart's rhythm. When the loop fills, the oldest data is overwritten unless something is captured worth saving.

Three kinds of recordings end up in our system:

• Automatic recordings. The device captures any rhythm that meets its alert criteria — pauses, fast rhythms, or AFib episodes — and transmits the tracing to our office automatically.
• Patient-activated recordings. If you feel something — palpitations, dizziness, a near-faint — you can trigger a recording yourself using a small handheld activator or a smartphone app, depending on which device you have.
• Daily check-ins. Your home transmitter wirelessly checks the device every day at a programmed time (usually overnight) and transmits any saved recordings to us.

Battery life is typically 3 years. The device cannot deliver pacing or shocks — it only listens and records.

You went home with a small box (or smartphone-app pairing) that pairs with your loop recorder wirelessly. This is your home transmitter.

What you need to do

• Plug it in in your bedroom, ideally next to the side of the bed where you sleep.
• Leave it on. The transmitter checks your device every night while you sleep.
• Don't unplug or move it unnecessarily. If you do travel with it, just plug it in at the destination.
• If your transmitter is the cellular kind, it works automatically and needs no Wi-Fi setup.
• If it's the Wi-Fi or smartphone kind, follow the setup instructions in the packet you went home with.

How we use the data

Our team reviews transmissions on receipt. If something significant is found, we will call you. If transmissions are routine and nothing is happening, you may not hear from us between visits — that is good news.

When something happens — palpitations, dizziness, a near-faint, a fast heart rate — you can trigger a recording in the moment so we can see exactly what your rhythm was doing.

If you have a handheld activator

• Hold the activator over your loop recorder (left chest, near the device).
• Press the button once.
• You'll see or hear a confirmation light/beep depending on the model.
• The device saves the previous several minutes plus the next several minutes — including the symptoms.
• The recording is transmitted to us automatically at the next nightly check-in or sooner.

If you use a smartphone app

• Open the app on your phone.
• Tap the symptom button.
• Optionally, log a brief note of what you were feeling.
• The recording transmits to us right away.

What to do after

• Sit somewhere safe.
• If symptoms continue or worsen, call our office during business hours or go to the emergency room.
• If symptoms resolve, you don't need to do anything else — we will review the recording.

The point of the loop recorder is to catch what's happening in the moment. Don't hesitate to trigger a recording — there's no penalty for doing it and no limit on how many you can send.

Site care

• Keep the small incision dry for 5 days.
• The site may bruise briefly — this resolves over 1–2 weeks.
• You can feel the device under your skin as a small ridge. It does not move.

Restrictions

• No baths or swimming for 1 week.
• No heavy lifting on the device side for 1 week.
• After that, no restrictions.

MRI

Most loop recorders are MRI-conditional. Tell the MRI center you have one and show your device card; they'll know what to do.

Airport security and electronics

Same as a pacemaker. Walk through normally. Phones, computers, microwaves, household electronics — all fine.

Travel

Bring your device card and home transmitter. The transmitter works wherever there's cellular service (or Wi-Fi for the Wi-Fi models).

• 1–2 weeks: Wound check.
• 3 months: A clinic visit to review what the device has captured and confirm settings.
• Then every 6 months by phone or in person.

Most patients with a loop recorder have one of three outcomes over the device's 3-year life:

• The device captures a clear rhythm explanation — AFib, slow rhythms requiring a pacemaker, SVT — and we move on to the next step in your care.
• The device captures the symptomatic episode and the rhythm is normal — meaning the symptom is not rhythm-related. This is genuinely useful information, even if it feels anticlimactic.
• The device captures nothing significant over its life — also useful. We've ruled out arrhythmia as the cause.

When the battery approaches the end of its life, we discuss whether to replace it. Most patients have an answer to their original question by then and do not need a new one.

This handbook is educational. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship and does not replace your visits. Your situation may differ — talk to Dr. Colombowala before making decisions about your care.

© 2026 Ilyas K. Colombowala, MD. All rights reserved.