Preparation:
- Make an appointment to have your Holter Monitor fitted by your nearest participating Collection Centre.
- You should shower/bath before this appointment. You can’t get the monitor wet or remove the monitor to shower/bath once the monitoring begins.
- Please make sure you wear loose fitting clothes on the day of your appointment and during the testing period. This is required because electrodes will be attached to your chest.
Procedure:
- Our technician will place some electrodes that sense your heartbeat on your chest. The electrodes are attached to your chest through tape-like adhesive and gel. For males, a small amount of hair may be shaved to make sure the electrodes stick. The technician connects the electrodes to a recording device with several wires and will instruct you on how to properly wear the recording device.
- You will be asked to record the timing of any events – symptoms of palpitations, skipped heartbeats, shortness of breath, chest pain or lightheadedness – in a diary that the collector gives you. When entering the symptoms in the diary also press the event button on the monitor.
- Once your monitor is fitted and you’ve received instructions on how to wear it, you will leave our centre and resume your normal everyday activities. Do not participate in strenuous activities.
- Once your monitoring begins, don’t take the Holter Monitor off — you must wear it at all times, even while you sleep.
After the procedure:
- Our Collector will then remove the electrodes from your chest, (similar to a bandage being pulled off your skin).
- Our cardiologists will review the holter monitor trace and will report the results back to your treating doctor.
Once your monitoring period is over, you’ll need to come back to our collection room to return the Holter Monitor and diary.
