Library · Test
Holter monitor
Make it clearer
A Holter monitor is a device that records the heart's electrical activity while the person goes about daily life: working, walking, sleeping. That is why it is called ambulatory electrocardiography, meaning done on the move rather than lying on an exam table.
It works on the galvanometer principle, named for an instrument that detects very small electrical currents, and with electrodes, patches stuck to the chest that pick up the signal. It records without stopping until it is taken off or the battery runs out, and it is usually worn for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. It is leaving the recorder running all day instead of taking a single photo.
To track the rate, that is, how fast the heart beats, and the rhythm, that is, how regularly it beats, two or three leads are enough; leads are the channels the signal is viewed from. Which monitor is used depends on how often the symptoms occur.
In brief
A Holter monitor records the heart's electrical signal while the person goes about daily life: it is ambulatory electrocardiography.
It works on the galvanometer principle with electrodes stuck to the chest, and records continuously until it is removed or the battery runs out, usually twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
It is leaving the recorder running all day instead of taking a single photo.
Two or three leads are enough to track rate and rhythm; which monitor is used depends on how often the symptoms occur.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHolter Monitor, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated