Holter monitors are used to determine how the heart responds to normal activity or, in some cases, to heart medication. A Holter monitor makes a graphic record of the electric currents generated by the heart and evaluates the presence of erratic heartbeats, whether or not the patient exhibits symptoms. Holter monitors can also evaluate pacemaker function. The main goal of Holter monitoring is to document and describe the heart's abnormal electrical behaviors. These behaviors can be random, spontaneous, sleep-related or emotion/stress-induced.
A Holter monitor is a lightweight heart monitor used to record an electrocardiogram (ECG) during a 24- to 48-hour period of time. Electrodes are placed on your chest and attached to the battery-operated monitor that records your heart's electrical signals on a cassette tape. Using the portable tape recorder allows you to continue your daily activities; during the monitoring period, you are required to record your activities in a diary.
The recording is then analyzed, the heart's activity is tabulated in a report and irregular heart activity is correlated with your daily activities so that a specific therapy may be used to address the problem. In some cases, a person may be asked to manually activate a recording if symptoms, such as palpitations, chest pain or irregular rhythms are noticed.
