Holter Monitor

What is a Holter Monitor?

Holter monitors are medical devices that record the heart’s electrical activity. Doctors most often use these monitors to diagnose arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs).

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Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.

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Holter monitors also are used to detect silent myocardial ischemia (is-KE-me-ah). In this condition, not enough oxygen-rich blood reaches the heart muscle. “Silent” means that no symptoms occur.

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The monitors also can check whether treatments for an arrhythmia or silent myocardial ischemia are working.

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Overview

Holter monitors are similar to an EKG (electrocardiogram). An EKG is a simple test that detects and records the heart’s electrical activity. It’s a common test for diagnosing heart rhythm problems.

However, a standard EKG only records the heartbeat for a few seconds. It won’t detect heart rhythm problems that don’t occur during the test.

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Holter monitors are small, portable devices. You can wear one while you do your normal daily activities. This allows the monitor to record your heart for a longer time than an EKG.

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Some people have heart rhythm problems that occur only during certain activities, such as sleeping or physical exertion. Using a Holter monitor increases the chance of recording these problems.