Dr. Collier speaks about new technology used to diagnose arrhythmia

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Dr. Collier of the Oklahoma Heart Hospital's Heart Rhythm Institute speaks with News 9 about a new type of implantable device that helps doctors record and diagnose abnormal heart rhythms.

"An arrhythmia (ah-RITH-me-ah) is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm." (www.nhlbi.nih.gov). "[Sometimes, when experiencing an irregular heartbeat] the heart can go very fast and actually cause sudden death. When a patient is feeling palpitations or an irregular rhythm, we want to diagnose that problem.", said Dr. Jack Collier.

Even though a patient may have an arrhythmia, doctors have to catch the heart beating irregularly to know how to treat it. This new device helps doctors do exactly that. Once implanted it monitors a patient's heart rhythm constantly and transmits abnormal findings to the patient's doctor wirelessly at night while the patient sleeps. What is truly unique about this new technology is its size: it is so small that it is implanted via an injection delivered under the skin.

Watch Dr. Collier's interview with Angela Buckelew on the News 9 Medical Minute to learn how this new implantable technology is improving cardiologists ability to diagnose arrhythmia.