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ECG Monitoring

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity. The primary purpose of an ECG is to diagnose abnormal heart rhythms or a heart attack. We do this in a variety of ways;

  • 12 lead ECG to make a 30 second recording.
  • 24 hour ECG (Holter monitoring) continuously records the heart rhythm for 24 hours. It increases the likelihood of capturing abnormal transient heart rhythms. Sticky dots (electrodes) are applied to the chest. Wires are attached from the electrodes and to the Holter monitor. The monitor is the size of a mobile phone and worn around the neck. This system is not waterproof and therefore you cannot have a shower. You return the monitor after 24 hours to the office so that the recordings can be downloaded to a computer for analysis.
  • Longer term ECG (usually 1-5 days) are required for infrequent arrhythmias. Our clinic uses the VIGO Heart system. This system is waterproof and you can have a shower.

These procedures are performed in our clinic. It takes 10-15 minutes to apply the sticky dots/electrodes and activate the monitor.

Investigations

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