Cardiac Event Monitoring

What is cardiac event monitoring?

Cardiac event monitoring is used to diagnose heart rhythm problems. You take an event recorder home and turn it on when you have symptoms of irregular heartbeats. You keep the recorder for up to a month.

When is it used?

Symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, fainting spells, and chest pain have many different possible causes. Cardiac event monitoring may be used to find out what is causing your symptoms. Heartbeats that are too fast or too slow may cause light-headedness or fainting. However, these irregular heart rhythms may not last long enough to show up on an electrocardiogram in your healthcare provider's office or in an emergency room. Cardiac event monitoring helps your provider to find the cause of the rhythm problem, especially if it does not happen on a regular basis.

What happens during the procedure?

There are different kinds of event monitors. They can be worn like a wristwatch, carried in your purse or pocket, or worn like a beeper. The monitor may or may not be attached to your chest using wires and adhesive patches. You must carry it with you at all times.

When you have pain or other symptoms, you turn on the monitor. The monitor then records your heart rhythm before, during, and after the event. The monitor records your heart condition before you turn it on by using a memory chip to constantly record about 1 minute of heart rhythm. You may be instructed to send the information over the phone to a monitoring center. To do this, you simply hold the monitor to the mouthpiece of the phone and push a button.

The monitoring center will ask you about your symptoms and review your heart rhythms. They will also prepare a report for your healthcare provider. If your EKG shows a dangerous rhythm, they will contact your healthcare provider right away.

During the time that you wear the monitor, you should keep up your usual activities. You will also:

• List activities such as walking, resting, and eating.
• List any symptoms you have, what you are doing, and the date and the time for each entry.
• Write down when you take your medicine.

What happens after the procedure?

Your healthcare provider will review the recordings and tell you about the results at your next visit or sooner, if needed.

What are the benefits of this test?

Cardiac event monitoring is a useful way to find heart rhythm problems that otherwise might remain hidden.

What are the risks of this test?

Your skin might be irritated by the adhesive on the electrode patches, but any skin irritation quickly disappears when the patches are removed.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your healthcare provider right away if:

• you have any change or worsening of pain or symptoms.

Call your healthcare provider during office hours if:

• You have questions about the procedure or its result.
• You want to make another appointment.