The heart specialist Sydney perform holter monitor test. Holter monitor is a device that records your heart’s electrical activity over 24 hours. It can help us detect abnormal rhythms of the heart and rule out other causes of symptoms such as chest pain and palpitations, which may be cause by an abnormal rhythm or structural problem with your heart
What is holter monitoring?
Holter monitoring is a test that monitors the heart rhythm of patients over a period of 24 hours. The monitoring device is worn for about 1-2 days and there will be numerous contacts with the patient to ensure that it stays on securely.
How does it work?
The holter monitor is a portable device that records your heart’s electrical activity. It is attach to your chest with sticky pads and can record your heart’s activity for up to 24 hours. The monitor records an ECG of your heartbeat, which stores the information on a memory chip inside the device. This allows doctors to see what happened with your heart during that time, allowing them to diagnose conditions like arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythms (abnormalities).
What happens to the data collected by the monitor?
The data collected by the monitor will be send to your doctor, who can use it to help diagnose your condition and determine if you need further testing or treatment. In addition to providing a wealth of information about your heart rhythm and its triggers, some monitors may have other features that make them especially useful for monitoring certain conditions. For example:
- Holter monitor electrodes are small enough to be place on one side of the chest wall instead of both sides like traditional ECG leads (leads are insert into or attached near different locations in order to record different electrical signals). This allows doctors to collect additional data from an area where they might not otherwise be able to measure it.
- Event markers allow you or your doctor to mark specific moments during an episode so you can see how long it lasted as well as when it began and ended.
What are the risks?
- Infection:
The wires are cover with adhesive material. The risk of infection is very low. If you develop any redness, swelling, or pain at the site where the wires were applie and/or removed, contact your doctor.
- Stroke (cerebrovascular accident):
This can occur if a wire becomes dislodged and ends up in your bloodstream. However, this is not likely to happen because there are metal clips at both ends of each wire that hold it firmly in place as it runs through your chest wall to reach its proper position on your heart muscles. If one of these clips comes undone during monitoring, an alarm will sound immediately and monitoring will stop until further action taken by medical personnel trained in this procedure.* Bleeding: * Skin irritation: * Bruising: * Allergic reaction: * Blood clot (deep vein thrombosis):* Skin rash
Holter monitor will help you if you have problem with your heart.
- The data collected by the Holter monitor will help your doctor diagnose your condition.
- The test is not painful and does not interfere with your daily activities.
- If you have heart problems, it is important to get a correct treatment as early as possible.
How do I prepare for a holter monitor test Sydney?
The holter monitor test Sydney will be wore during a 24-hour period. You should not eat or drink anything that contains caffeine in the four hours before the test, as this may cause your heart rate to be higher than normal. Similarly, you should not smoke, exercise or take any medications that can affect your heart rate for eight hours before the test.
What are the benefits of a Holter monitor test?
The Holter monitor test is a noninvasive way to record your heart rhythm over a 24-hour period. It can help your doctor diagnose any abnormal heart rhythms you might have, including:
- Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
- Bradycardia (slow heartbeat)
- Tachycardia (fast heartbeat)
What are the risks of the Holter monitor test?
There are risks and side effects of this test. These can include:
- A false alarm for arrhythmia. The device may pick up a heart rhythm that’s not normally there, or it may pick up a heart rhythm that is normally there but isn’t really a problem.
- False sense of security. If you have an abnormal heart rhythm and don’t know about it, you won’t take any action to correct the problem and may get worse over time.
Holter monitor test can be uncomfortable for some people.
The Holter monitor test can be uncomfortable for some people. Holter monitor is a small device that is place on your chest and held in place by electrodes. This device is wore for 24 hours, or longer if necessary, during which time heart rhythm information will be record. The device may cause skin irritation and pain in the chest area if any of these things happen:
- You move too much while wearing it
- You do not wash the electrode areas properly before application
- You wear tight-fitting clothing over it
During your 24-hour monitoring, it’s a good idea to keep track of what you’re eating, taking any medications and how you’re feeling.
Make notes on anything unusual that may have happened during the day. For example, if you had an upset stomach or felt fatigued at certain times of the day, make note of this in a journal along with any other symptoms that may have occurred during the monitoring period. It’s also important to report all medications that were take during this time frame so that your doctor can review them for possible interactions with heart rhythm problems or for side effects that could cause heart rhythm issues as well.
Conclusion
Some people may have side effects from the test, such as nausea or fatigue. Don’t hesitate to tell your Cardiologists in Sydney if you’re not feeling well. It’s important to understand that this test will not tell you if you’re having a heart attack. If any symptoms of heart attack occur during the monitoring period, call 911 immediately!