Holter Monitor

Overview

What is a Holter Monitor?

The Holter monitor test is used to record your EKG tracing continuously for a period of 24 hours or longer. You will receive instructions regarding how long you will need to wear the recorder (usually 24 to 48 hours), how to keep a diary of your activities and symptoms during the test, and personal care/activity instructions.

What is an Event Monitor?

Event monitoring is very similar to Holter monitoring, and is often ordered for the same reasons. With an event monitor, you wear EKG electrode patches on your chest, and the electrodes are connected by wire leads to a recording device. Unlike the Holter monitor, however, which records continuously throughout the testing period of 24 to 48 hours, the event monitor does not record until you feel symptoms and trigger the monitor to record your EKG tracing at that time.

When you feel one or more symptoms, such as chest pain, dizziness, or palpitations, you push a button on the event monitor recorder. Some monitors have a feature called "memory loop recording," in which the monitor can include a recording of a short period of time prior to the moment you triggered the recording and afterwards. This feature can help your physician determine more details about the possible change in your EKG at the time the symptoms started, and what was happening with your EKG just before you triggered the recorder. Other monitors, called "post-event recorders," simply start recording your EKG from the moment you trigger it.

Post-event recorders are quite small - some may even be worn on the wrist (similar to a wristwatch). Memory-loop recorders are about the size of a pager.

After you experience symptoms and record them, you will send the recording of the event to your physician or to a central monitoring center. This transmission is done over the telephone. You will be instructed regarding how to do this when you have the recorder set up and attached. You will also keep a diary of your symptoms and corresponding activities (as done during the Holter monitoring procedure).

Reasons for the Procedure

Some reasons your physician may request a Holter monitor procedure include, but are not limited to, the following:

• to determine the cause of chest pain
  
  
• to evaluate other signs and symptoms which may be heart-related, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fainting, etc.
  
  
• to help identify irregular heartbeats
  
  
• to further evaluate arrhythmias noted on resting EKG

Risks of the Procedure

No known risks.

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