Holter Monitoring

When an in-office electrocardiogram (EKG) doesn’t reveal an irregular heartbeat, but your symptoms suggest that’s a concern, you could need Holter monitoring. At South Brooklyn Care in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, board-certified physicians Elvira Neculiseanu, MD, and Aleksandre Toreli, MD, specialize in cardiac testing, including Holter monitoring. Call the South Brooklyn Care office or request an appointment online if you have questions about your heart or symptoms like chest pain or a racing heartbeat.

What is Holter monitoring?

Holter monitoring, also called ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, is a diagnostic test that records your heartbeat while you go about your day.

The Holter monitor is a small device that works like an electrocardiogram (EKG), picking up and recording your heart’s electrical activity. You wear the monitor for 24-48 hours, during which it continuously records your heartbeat.

Some Holter monitors send the information wirelessly to South Brooklyn Care. If you have this type of monitor, your provider can track your heart in real time and contact you if a problem arises. Other Holter monitors store the EKG information, which your provider downloads after you return the device.

How does event monitoring differ from Holter monitoring?

Event monitoring is similar — you wear a device that records your heartbeat. But an event monitor only records your heart’s electrical activity when you tell it to. If you have an event monitor, you activate the device every time you experience symptoms.

When would I need Holter monitoring?

Your South Brooklyn Care provider recommends Holter monitoring when your symptoms suggest an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). You could have:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Fast heartbeat
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Fainting or near-fainting

During your initial visit, your provider runs an in-office EKG. But arrhythmias don’t always show up in the office because they record the EKG for a limited time. Holter monitoring solves that problem by continuously recording your heart’s electrical activity for as long as you wear the device.

How does Holter monitoring work?

There are different kinds of Holter monitors, some using separate, self-adhesive electrodes connected to the monitor with wires. This device usually comes with a monitor that you wear around your neck or waist.

Others are more compact devices with electrodes built into the monitor. Then the entire monitor adheres to your chest. The electrodes of both kinds pick up your heart’s electrical activity and send it to the monitor.

While you wear the monitor, you can stay involved in most activities. But your provider discusses any guidelines or restrictions you might need to follow.

They might also ask you to keep notes about your activities and the symptoms you experience. They then compare the results of your EKG to your experience.

Call South Brooklyn Care today or request an appointment online if you experience symptoms of an irregular heartbeat.