Larry Parker is always on the go.
"I'm pretty active. We ride bikes. We kayak. We dance," said Parker, 69.
But his active lifestyle came to a halt earlier this year when he found himself gasping for breath after moving some furniture.
"Told my wife I've got to sit down. I felt real, real dizzy. Never felt like that before, ever," said Parker.
Diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Parker had surgery to treat his irregular heartbeat. Now, three months later, he's back at the hospital, this time to have a new tiny monitor implanted in his chest.
"It's one of the most impressive breakthroughs that I've been associated with," said Dr. John Seger, cardiac electro physiologist at the Texas Heart Institute.
Seger said the paperclip-size device, called "Reveal Linq" will automatically alert him if Parker has any A-fib episodes for up to three years, helping protect Parker against stroke and heart failure.
"Probably 15 percent of strokes in the United States are on the basis of atrial fibrillation," Seger said.
The procedure can be done in minutes.
"A little pressure now," Seger told Parker.
"Painless, well not totally, but it was tolerable," Parker said.
And it gives Parker peace of mind to do the things he loves.
The device is 87 percent smaller than previous generations of monitors and allows patients to live an active lifestyle.
Since our interview with Parker, he said he's feeling good and planned on skydiving for his 70th birthday.
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