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Sign up for our free e-mail newsletter, HEALTHbeat.   Email address:     Incontinence Weight Loss Prostate Disease Vitamins and Minerals Aching Hands See All Titles Common Medical Conditions Wellness & Prevention Emotional Well Being & Mental Health Women’s Health Men’s Health Heart & Circulatory Health   contact us		Holter Monitor What is the test? How do I prepare for the test? What happens when the test is performed? What risks are there from the test? Must I do anything special after the test is over? How long is it before the result of the test is known? View other tests What is the test? A Holter monitor is a portable EKG device that records your heart rhythm over time, outside the hospital or doctor's office.Whereas a regular EKG examines your heart's electrical activity for a few minutes, the Holter monitor examines changes over a sustained period of time-usually a 24- to 48-hour period-while you go about your daily activities and even while you sleep. Doctors use it to evaluate symptoms that come and go and that might be related to heart-rhythm changes. Back to top > How do I prepare for the test? Men with a lot of hair on their chest will probably have to shave it. Otherwise, there's no special preparation. Back to top > What happens when the test is performed? A technician in your doctor's office or a diagnostic lab fits you with a Holter monitor and explains how to use it. Five stickers are attached to your chest.Wires snap onto each of these stickers and connect them to the monitor. The wires detect your heart's electrical pattern throughout the day, while the monitor records and stores the data for doctors to interpret later. You can fit the monitor into a purse or jacket pocket or wear it over your shoulder by its strap. You can go about your normal activities with two exceptions. First, you can't take a shower or bath during the period that you're wearing the monitor. Second, you are given a small diary in which to note any worrisome symptoms you feel and record the time when they occur. The doctor will later review both your diary and the data about your heart's activity from the monitor, to see if any symptoms you experienced were caused by some underlying heart problem. There are no side effects from the testing. Back to top > What risks are there from the test? There are no risks. Back to top > Must I do anything special after the test is over? You need only return the Holter monitor. Back to top > How long is it before the result of the test is known? It usually takes a few days for your recording to be printed out and examined. Back to top > View other tests
		Click to enlarge Medical Tests: A Practical Guide to Common Tests Are you the type of person who panics when sent for even the most routine medical test? Medical Tests: A Practical Guide to Common Tests provides you with information about common screening and diagnostic medical tests so that you can breathe easier. You’ll learn why the test is needed, how to prepare for it, what happens during the test, and so much more. Now you can go in prepared!. Read more
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