Heart Monitoring

A heart monitor is a valuable tool used to assess your heart rate and rhythm over a specific period, typically 24 hours or longer. 

Reasons why you might need one

1. Symptoms Evaluation: If you experience symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, fainting, or irregular heartbeats, a heart monitor helps track your heart’s activity during these episodes. It provides crucial information to diagnose the cause of your symptoms.
2. Detecting Abnormal Rhythms: Heart monitors can identify abnormal heart rates or rhythms, including too slow (bradycardia) or too fast (tachycardia) heart rates. Detecting these irregularities helps guide treatment decisions.
3. Medication Monitoring: If you’re taking medications that affect your heart, monitoring ensures their effectiveness and safety. It helps healthcare professionals assess whether the medication is controlling your heart rate appropriately.
4. Post-Procedure Monitoring: After cardiac procedures (such as pacemaker implantation or ablation), monitoring ensures that your heart is functioning correctly and that the procedure was successful.
5. Risk Assessment: For individuals at risk of heart conditions (such as atrial fibrillation), continuous monitoring provides valuable data to assess their overall cardiovascular health.

How does it work?

• A heart monitor is typically a small device, similar in size to a mobile phone.
• Electrodes (sticky pads) are attached to your chest, and the monitor continuously records your heart’s electrical activity.
• You wear the monitor for the specified duration (e.g., 24 hours, 72 hours, or seven days).
• The data collected helps healthcare professionals analyse your heart rhythm and make informed decisions about your care.

Preparation:

There is no preparation needed as the monitor can be removed at home for brief periods to shower or bathe.

The monitor can be worn during exercise such as golf, running, gym etc.