24 Hours Holter Monitor

A Holter monitor is a 24-hour electrocardiogram taken during a patient’s daily activity. It looks for evidence of transient cardiac problems – that is, problems that come and go, and that are not apparent when a standard ECG is performed. Ambulatory monitoring is particularly useful in diagnosing transient heart arrhythmias, and transient cardiac ischemia.

JH offers Holter monitors to referral physicians and hospitals. With the Holter monitor, electrode leads are applied to the patient’s skin (similar to the leads used in recording a standard ECG), and attached to a lightweight monitor. The patient wears the monitor, which records the patient’s ECG for 24-hour period on a digital flash card or CD.

The Holter monitor will show the doctor every one of the patient’s heart beat for a continuous 24 – 48 hour period. If any abnormal beats or heart arrhythmias occur during that time, they will be identified. In addition, the Holter monitor can give information about changes in the ST segment of the ECG during the monitoring period. Some patients who have cardiac ischemia will not actually experience symptoms during their ischemic episodes. (This condition is called “silent ischemia.”) By analyzing changes in the ST segment, silent ischemia can often be diagnosed by Holter monitoring.