How is the Holter test conducted?
The patient wears the battery-powered Holter Monitor, a “box” weighing a few ounces, on a belt or shoulder strap. Adhesive patches on the patient’s chest conduct the electrical signals of the heart to the Holter Monitor through wire connections. The monitor, in turn, stores and analyzes the data. The patient wears the monitor for 24 hours and assumes normal activities, including sleep periods. At the end of the 24 hours, the data from the monitor is transferred to the base station computer, where a licensed heart nurse or technician reviews and, if required, edits the data in a procedure known as “scanning”. A report is generated that documents and trends any abnormalities that occurred, and is submitted to the physician for final interpretation.
Related Questions
- The Holter monitor must be worn at all times during the test period which typically ranges from 24 to 48 hours, depending on how long your doctor feels you need to be monitored. What if a patch comes off?
- Ive already worn a Holter monitor. How does the Cardiac Event Monitor test differ from a Holter Monitor test?
- Why is a Holter Monitor test done?
