When we go to the hospital to have an ECG, the routine ECG cannot always detect the symptoms. Sometimes, our doctor would recommend us the Holter ECG for future testing. What can the Holter do?
What is the 24-hour Holter ECG?
A Holter is a dynamic ECG test. It can continuously record and analyzes our hearts' status in different conditions, including ST level trend graph, heart rate variability, data after physical exercise, and differential diagnosis of various arrhythmias.
It can record all abnormal waves to provide an accurate and reliable basis for various heart diseases.
Eight functions of 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram
As a clinical diagnostic method, 24-hour Holter ECG has advantages that conventional ECG does not have and has a good monitoring effect and guiding significance for various disease symptoms, especially for arrhythmias and coronary heart disease.
1. Diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias of various causes
Identify the type of arrhythmias, such as various premature beats, maximum heart rate, slowest heart rate, tachycardia, bradycardia, conduction block, especially the type and frequency of some fatal arrhythmias and the relationship between its occurrence and activity, sleep, etc., to screen out the high-risk group of patients to decide further examination and treatment.
2. Detection of occult arrhythmias
Short-term arrhythmias that appear under specific circumstances are easily missed by conventional ECG, while DCG can capture short-term abnormal ECG changes. Daily activities synchronously analyze their interrelationships.
3. Bradyarrhythmias observation
Understand its main manifestations and the presence or absence of sinus node insufficiency. With the Holter ECG test graphs, we can select antiarrhythmic drugs, adjust the dose or choose other treatment methods. Also, it provides an objective basis for the installation of pacemakers and type selection.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of antiarrhythmic drugs
It is a reliable clinical indicator for research and evaluation of antiarrhythmic drugs.
5. Assist in judging whether intermittent symptoms such as chest tightness, palpitations, dizziness, amaurosis, or syncope are of cardiac origin.
6. Diagnosis of myocardial infarction
Holter ECG has significance for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. First of all, it can make a diagnosis of myocardial infarction according to the typical ECG characteristics of myocardial infarction. Also, it has a better record of the evolution of the electrocardiogram to help us understand the progress and onset of the disease. Besides, it can also display the painless myocardial ischemia after infarction to guide clinical treatment.
7. Coronary heart disease Diagnoses
A 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram can diagnose coronary heart disease. The ECG can show the blood supply to the myocardium to diagnose myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, etc. Coronary angiography is the most effective and intuitive method for the clinical diagnosis of coronary heart disease.
8. Identify potential risk factors for sudden death
The most cause of sudden cardiac death is ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, which is often preceded by ventricular arrhythmia with unstable cardiac electrical activity. It can only rely on DCG to find its regularity. DCG can detect the risk factors of sudden death in a timely and comprehensive way and help to take effective treatment promptly.
Tips on Holter ECG test
- Check the cleanliness of the area that needs to be patched, reduce dandruff and grease, and ensure that the ECG electrodes are in full connection with the skin.
- During the test, try to choose loose cotton underwear to avoid static electricity interference;
- During the inspection, please stay away from the magnetic field environment, do not get close to microwave ovens, induction cookers, etc.;
- Have suitable exercise during the test. The Holter ECG is to record the abnormal ECG wave in daily life. Thus we can keep our life as usual. Or we can have some exercise to get the monitoring goal.
- Keep the skin dry. The electrodes on the skin connect to the device by the ECG lead wire. If the skin is wet, it would cause a poor connection to the electrode or even fall off, leading to repetitive testing.
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