Forth Valley Royal Hospital was the first hospital in Scotland to implant a tiny heart monitor – just one third the size of a triple A battery – into a patient.
The mini device helps physicians diagnose heart rhythm problems by monitoring heartbeats for up to three years. Previous monitors were inserted surgically meaning a visit to the operating theatre and leaving a small wound requiring stitches.
But the new device is so small it can be implanted using an injection-like technique and comes with a wireless monitoring capability meaning patients can constantly be kept under watch remotely.
