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World's smallest cardiac monitor fitted in Adelaide

The world’s smallest cardiac monitor has been surgically fitted in a patient at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Weighing in at less than three grams and only 48 millimetres long, the monitor is only about a quarter of the size of its predecessor and can remain in place for up to three years.

This makes the surgery to have the device fitted much less invasive, so recovery time is minimised.

“We can simply make a small incision, inject it under the skin, and really the patient can go home or go back to work the same day,” director of cardiology Professor Prash Sanders said.

The device wirelessly diagnoses and monitors any irregular heartbeats, sending the information to medical staff wherever the patient is, rather than requiring them to visit hospital.

“It automatically transmits each time it records an abnormal recording, to us,” Prof Sanders said.

The device was fitted in a patient is a world-first procedure this morning as part of a feasibility study.

Patients in Holland and Austria are also taking part.

Prof Sanders is hopeful the device might become more widely available for use as early as next year.

Researchers said it is also the first step in making other devices like pacemakers and defibrillators smaller.