Holter Monitor
A Holter monitor (also known as ambulatory monitoring), records the electrical activity of your heart while you go about your daily life.
The device is a small, battery-operated tape recorder worn on a strap. The recorder is connected by electrodes that are taped to your chest.
Holter monitors are useful because arrhythmias can be a challenge to record at your doctor's office. A standard electrocardiogram records only 40 to 50 heartbeats while you are attached to the machine.
In order to get a fuller picture, your physician may ask you to wear a Holter monitor for a 24-hour period. A Holter monitor records about 100,000 heartbeats in 24 hours and is more likely to identify problems.
Holter monitors are used to:
- Find the cause of dizziness, chest pain and fainting.
- Locate the source of an arrhythmia
- Check the blood flow to your heart
- Verify that arrhythmia treatment is working