Holter Monitor
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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.
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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.
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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.
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What
risks are there from the test?
There are no risks.
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Must
I do anything special after the test is over?
You need only return the Holter monitor.
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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.
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