The Holter test allows you to record your heart activity around the clock, so you can detect disorders that are not shown by the electrocardiogram or the echo of the heart. Check when a Holter test is recommended and how the ECG works.
Holter testmake a precise diagnosis and start treatment. The Holter tester looks like a Walkman. It is attached to the waist belt. It has 5 electrodes that the doctor sticks to the left breast, around the heart. Before that, he degreases it with alcohol or ether. Men have to shave this place.
Wearing a camera called a holter cannot limit us in anything. On the contrary, for the study to be credible, we should do what we usually do. We just need to keep a diary and write down the times of meals, walks, driving, and describe the symptoms (e.g. palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath).
The only exception to the classes is that we cannot take a bath with the holter. Soaking the electrodes would make it impossible to perform the test.
Every now and then you should check that the electrodes are stuck to the skin and connected to the camera. If they come off, stick them in the same places with a plaster without a dressing. If the wire becomes disconnected from the recorder, press it again (the tip acts as a latch).
Holter test: when should it be done?
The Holter test is ordered in the case of:
- disturbance of heart rhythm (palpitations, fast or uneven beating)
- heart block (abnormally slow)
- ischemic heart disease
- fainting and collapsing
- the need to check the operation of an implanted pacemaker
Holter test: advantages
The great advantage of the Holter test compared to other diagnostic methods is that it shows how the heart is working while you sleep. In some people it is then and only then that its functions are seriously disturbed. When we sleep, most of our body's activities slow down.
It happens, however, that the breathing is extremely shallow, slow and does not provide the body with the right amount of oxygen. This has a negative effect on the work of the heart. All these disturbances can be read by the doctor from the recorder.
Holter: Resultsin the chart
Electrical impulses, constantly produced by our heart, are recorded on an audio tape or electronically during the examination. After 24 hours, the doctor reads and analyzes the record, comparing it with the notes we keep. He interprets the results using a special computer program. On the basis of the drawn charts, he can make a precise diagnosis and start treatment.
Some people wrongly fear that the recorder will worsen their he alth by disrupting their heart. There is not even the slightest risk. The test does not hurt, it is completely safe and non-invasive, i.e. it does not affect the body tissues.
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