Boston Scientific’s next-gen cardiac monitor makes clinical debut, intensifying ICM race

The first implant of Boston Scientific’s next-generation insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) has been successfully completed by the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Services at Nepean Public and Private Hospitals, Dr Ihab El-Sokkari.

Insertable cardiac monitors are critical tools for diagnosing and managing heart rhythm disorders, and the market is becoming increasingly competitive. Abbott received TGA clearance last year for its Assert-IQ, while Medtronic continues to publish strong performance data for its Linq ICM.

Boston Scientific’s Lux-Dx II+, which received TGA approval at the end of 2024 and was added to the Prescribed List (PL) in March 2025, touts several notable upgrades. Designed with dual-stage algorithms, the device detects and verifies potential arrhythmias before alerting clinicians. This two-step system ensures that clinicians only receive alerts that are actionable, helping to streamline decision-making.

This emphasis on clinically meaningful alerts reflects broader industry concerns about data overload. The rise of remote monitoring, while transformative for patient care, has led to a flood of nonactionable, false, or repetitive alerts that burden device clinics and healthcare systems.

Recent evidence suggests that AI-enhanced ICMs may help mitigate this. An analysis involving more than 19,000 patients – 68% with non-AI-enhanced ICMs and 32% with AI-enhanced systems – showed that AI integration significantly reduces nonactionable alerts. This eases the burden on clinical staff, cuts associated costs, and enhances overall workflow efficiency.

The Lux-Dx II+ is built to detect a range of cardiac events, including atrial fibrillation (AFib), atrial and ventricular tachycardia, bradycardia, and rhythm pause episodes. The new system also includes a premature ventricular contraction (PVC) burden algorithm, which flags arrhythmias whenever predefined thresholds are crossed.

To further refine alert accuracy, Boston Scientific has integrated additional layers of verification. A key feature includes night-time programming filters specific to bradycardia and pause episodes, designed to reject irrelevant or falsely positive detections.

Another standout feature of the medical device is the remote programming capability, allowing physicians and care teams to adjust event detection parameters and record symptoms without requiring in-person appointments.

Meanwhile, Medtronic continues to push forward with innovation in this space. Primary results from the DEFINE AFib clinical study revealed that the Medtronic Linq family of ICMs (Reveal Linq and Linq II), paired with an AI algorithm, were able to detect atrial fibrillation episodes and risk stratify patients as high risk prior to an AF-related healthcare utilisation 80% of the time. These ICMs also showed four times greater episode sensitivity than the Apple Watch.

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