Holter Monitor - Diagnosing Heart Disease: Heart Disease

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Holter monitor

Holter monitoring (sometimes also called an ambulatory electrocardiogram) is an excellent technique for detecting disorders of the heart's pumping rhythm, but it is less effective than the standard exercise tolerance test (see next section) for detecting ischemia. A Holter monitor is a portable EKG device that records your heart rhythm 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. You can fit the monitor into a purse or jacket pocket or wear it over your shoulder by its strap, and then continue your normal routine with two exceptions. First, you can't take a shower or bath during the period in which you're wearing the monitor. Second, you are given a small diary in which to note any worrisome symptoms you feel, along with the time they occur. The doctor will later review both your diary and 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.

Last updated:	May 03, 2007