

Excess chest hair may need to be shaved to make sure the signal is properly transmitted. Before placing the electrodes on your chest, a nurse or technician should clean your skin. Wearing loose clothes during the test is advisable in order for the electrodes to stay in position. If you’re already on medications for irregular heart rhythm, the Holter monitor should reveal whether or not your medicine is working and if your dosage needs to be adjusted. Whether or not you need to undergo more testing will depend on the results of the test before your doctor can properly diagnose you. Your doctor will also review your notes where you recorded your activities and analyze the results recorded on the monitor. When the required time frame of monitoring has passed, return to your doctor and have the monitor removed. This can help your doctor determine if the changes in your heart’s rate and rhythm are related to your physical movements and behaviors. You can go on with your normal routine, but remember to jot down your activities during the day. You don’t need to put a halt to your daily activities during the 24-hour monitoring. Keep in mind that the device is not water-resistant. You can just reattach the electrodes if they fall off or become loose.

To make sure you get accurate readings, keep the Holter monitor close to your body throughout the testing period. A small pouch should be worn around your neck to hold the monitor. Only a bit larger than your regular playing cards, this device can record your heart’s activity and function through the wires attached to your chest and into the monitor. Wear your Holter monitor so your doctor can determine whether or not your medicine is working, so changes can be made if necessary. If you are already taking medications for heart problems The irregular impulses in the heart are commonly known as arrhythmias.

Also, through the monitor’s recordings, your doctor can determine whether your heart is getting the right amount of oxygen or whether the heart’s electrical impulses are delayed or early. On the Holter monitor, your doctor will be able to see your heart’s activity based on the long term. However, the irregularities in your heart’s rhythm may not show up during an ECG test because the device is only hooked up to your chest for a very short amount of time.įor this reason, 24-hour Holter monitoring is necessary to record the “unrecorded” events. In doing so, electrodes are attached to your chest. An ECG is a medical test performed by a doctor to measure your heart’s rate and rhythm. Just like the traditional ECG, this medical device also consists of electrodes and electrical leads-only it has fewer leads than ECG.Ībnormalities in the heart’s rhythm, as well as other types of cardiac signs, can come and go at any time. You will be required to wear a Holter monitor for 24 to 48 hours as you take on your normal, everyday routine. An event recorder, which is a longer-term monitor, may be needed if the irregular heartbeats are sporadic.Ī 24-hour Holter monitoring will record your heart’s activity for 24 hours, obviously. This device can also determine if you are at risk of arrhythmia.ĭoctors usually order tests using a Holter monitor when ECG or EKG, a traditional electrocardiogram, doesn’t show enough information about the condition of the heart. This small and wearable medical device is used to record your heart rate and rhythm and detects irregular heartbeats. In this article, you will learn what a Holter monitor does and understand heart monitor results. Knowing what it is and understanding how it works could be helpful. If you are not in the medical field, you might be wondering what a Holter monitor is and its uses.
