What Is A Holter Monitor?
- A holter monitor is a recording of your heart rate and rhythm over a 24 or 48 hour period.
How Is A Holter Monitor Performed?
- You will be required to wear the monitor for roughly 24 hours or 48 hours (sometimes less) depending on what your GP prefers . The monitor is quite small and will either be placed in a small bag to hang around your neck or clipped onto your belt, and records your heart beat through leads which we place on the skin over chest.
What To Expect
- You will not be able to shower while you are wearing the monitor and you are not to remove the monitor to shower during the 24 or 48 hour period.
- It is recommended that you shower prior to your appointment.
- While you are wearing the monitor you will be asked to do everything as per normal in your day to day life (other than showering).
- You will be shown how to remove the monitor yourself and are required to return the monitor the following day at a time that will be given to you (this may be less than 24hours).
Results
- Once you return the monitor we can begin to analyse the recording. You won’t be given the results upon returning the monitor.
- Once the monitor has been reported the results will be sent to your GP. It is generally a week turn around time from application to results being available at your GP or referring doctor’s practice.
- If there is an urgent finding on your monitor, you will hear from your GP or referring doctor earlier.
- If there is an urgent reason your monitor needs to be reported sooner, please notify the technician at your appointment.
- If you cannot return the monitor the following day you must notify the receptionist at the time of booking, not once you’ve attended your appointment.