Who Needs a Holter?

Holter monitoring is a test used to detect possible heart related problems when you experience symptoms like dizziness, irregular heartbeats or fainting. Holter monitoring is most commonly used to detect cardiac arrhythmias.

What are Cardiac Arrhythmias?

Cardiac arrhythmias or abnormal heartbeats, is a group of conditions in which the heart beats too fast, too slow or erratically. A person with cardiac arrhythmia may have unexplained dizziness or fainting, palpitations or in some rare cases, may experience no symptom at all. Your doctor may be the first to notice signs of an arrhythmia. This will probably be during a routine physical exam when they listen to your heartbeat or perform an electrocardiogram (ECG). Some arrhythmias can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, or sudden cardiac death (which kills over 40,000 Canadians a year). Atrial fibrillation is the most common serious arrhythmia and affects about 2% to 3% of people in North America and Europe.

What happens if I have Atrial fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is a widespread arrhythmia, affecting approximately 350,000 Canadians. The risk of developing atrial fibrillation increases with age and with other risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and underlying heart disease. The main complications of atrial fibrillation are stroke and heart failure. People with atrial fibrillation have a risk of stroke that is 3 to 6 times greater than people without atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can also lead to heart failure.

How does Holter Monitoring work?

A holter monitor is a small, lightweight recording device with sensors that are attached to your chest. This device monitors your heart's electrical activity as you go about your daily routine, at home or work. The recorder is typically attached to your chest for 72 hours, but a longer duration can be chosen based on how often your symptoms appear. This is especially useful if your symptoms are intermittent and not detected during an ECG test. Your heart's rhythm is transmitted and recorded, then played back into a computer so it can be analyzed by a cardiac technologist and confirmed by a cardiologist to find out what is causing your arrhythmia.

Who should get tested?

If you have unexplained palpitations, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, anxiety or fatigue, or if you have a family history of sudden cardiac death, your doctor may recommend holter monitoring. Abnormal heart rhythms and other types of cardiac symptoms can come and go. Monitoring for a longer period of time is necessary to record these events. The Holter monitor lets your doctor see how your heart functions on a long-term basis.