What Happens After Valvuloplasty?
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5 Reasons Your Doctor Suggests a Holter Monitor
A Holter monitor is a noninvasive device that can provide diagnostic answers about unusual cardiac events, including an irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and fainting.
At Chinatown Cardiology, with four New York City locations, we provide comprehensive diagnostic services using advanced Holter monitor technology to identify the root cause of heart-related issues.
Our skilled cardiology team interprets the results of your Holter monitor recordings to provide an accurate diagnosis. We also offer customized care plans to treat cardiac-related issues like arrhythmia that we uncover when recording the electrical activity of your heart.
How a Holter monitor works
A Holter monitor is a portable device you wear to record your heart’s electrical impulses over an extended period.
The Chinatown Cardiology team sets you up with a Holter monitor during an in-office visit. We place electrode sensors on the surface of your skin that record the heart’s electrical signals, and you attach the small monitoring device to your belt or other clothing.
You must wear the monitor continuously for 12-24 hours; the device shouldn’t limit you in any way. There’s a minimal risk of side effects besides minor skin irritation from the adhesive used to attach the sensors.
When your Holter monitor testing period ends, we remove the device and review the recorded information. Depending on your results, you may need additional cardiac testing or treatment to correct abnormal heart symptoms.
5 reasons you might need to wear a Holter monitor
Here are five reasons why you may need a Holter monitor as part of your diagnostic evaluation:
1. Heart palpitations
Ongoing or recurrent heart palpitations can be a warning sign of cardiac conditions like heart valve dysfunction and heart disease. A Holter monitor can help confirm or rule out heart conditions that contribute to abnormal palpitations.
2. Dizziness
Dizziness and fainting (syncope) can be a symptom of cardiovascular issues like atrial fibrillation, low blood pressure (hypotension), and atherosclerosis.
A Holter monitor can record electrical activity in the moments before and after episodes of dizziness or fainting to identify their cause.
3. Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
Often, other diagnostic tests can’t effectively assess irregular heartbeats because the episodes need to happen during testing. Ongoing recording of the heart’s electrical activity with a Holter monitor makes it easier to pinpoint an arrhythmia.
4. Inconclusive results from other tests
Your cardiologist may recommend you wear a Holter monitor if electrocardiogram (EKG) or echocardiogram testing doesn’t provide enough answers about your heart health.
5. Effectiveness of treatment
Holter monitor testing may be informative beyond diagnostic purposes. If you’re currently undergoing treatment for an existing heart condition, our team may use a Holter monitor to evaluate the effectiveness of medications or confirm a pacemaker is working.
Call the Chinatown Cardiology location nearest you today to learn more about the diagnostic benefits of a Holter monitor, or request your appointment online.
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