Your doctor has ordered a Holter Electrocardiogram (ECG). You are probably curious to know exactly what a Holter ECG is, what the recorder is for and what you are expected to do during the test.

A Holter ECG is a relatively simple, and painless procedure. There is nothing to be afraid of or to worry about. Your doctor will arrange for a technician to connect you to a small lightweight portable recording unit that you will wear from 24 to 48 hours, depending on your doctor�s instructions. Monitoring electrodes will be put on your chest. These will pick up the signals from your heart and transfer them to the recorder, where a tape recording of the signals will be made. The recording will later be transformed into a report which your doctor will analyze.

The Holter ECG is basically a continuous electrocardiogram taken while you are performing your normal daily activities. This differs from a normal ECG in that a normal ECG records only a very small portion of your heart�s activity, less than � of 1% of your daily heart beats. The normal ECG is also taken while you are at rest and, therefore, does not show how your heart will react to the stressful situations of normal daily life.

The reason for the Holter ECG is to provide your physician with a record of how your heart reacted to each stressful or unusual situation during the day as well as at rest situations.

You will be provided a diary to record the events that occur throughout the day. This diary will provide your doctor with a means of correlating the recording results with the various events that occurred during the day. He will look at the activities and symptoms you list and will see how your heart reacted during each of these events. It is extremely important that you record your daily activities and symptoms accurately.

What can I do while wearing the Holter?
The recorder you will be wearing should not interfere with your normal routine and there are only a few restrictions while you are wearing it. Obviously, you should not tamper with the recorder, electrodes or lead wires. You should not take a shower or bath or get the electrodes or recorder wet in any way. If you are wearing the recorder at night, you should not use an electric blanket, as it may interfere with the recording. If the electrodes do come loose, secure them with tape.

When the test is complete you will return to the doctors office who will remove the recorder and electrodes and take the diary from you. He will then process that day or the next the recording via a sophisticated, high speed computer resulting in a report highlighting various portions of the recording.

He will use this information along with your past medical history and results from other tests to make the most accurate diagnosis of your condition and provide the best medical care possible.