For Holter monitors, you bring the monitor back to your doctor at the end of your testing period, and then he or she downloads the data for analysis. The recorder pendant captures the electrical activity of your heart (ECG). (Some newer patch-style monitors do not have wires.) Once you are hooked up, it is essential to keep the electrodes attached to your chest and keep the monitor powered on for the entire length of your prescribed test. You may be able to clip the pendant to your pants, wear it around your neck, or place it in your shirt pocket. The electrodes may have wires that connect to an ECG recorder pendant, which is usually about the size of a deck of cards or smaller. The first important step is to prepare the skin on your chest to get it ready for the electrodes, which are then attached to your skin using a glue-like gel. Either you will be set up in your doctor’s office or you may be mailed a monitoring kit, and you will set up yourself at home. Placing the monitor on your person is relatively easy and takes just a few minutes of your time. MCT tests are the most comprehensive procedures, providing your doctor with the most clinical information and advanced patient reports.

Physicians may prescribe the longer Event or MCT test when he or she wants more sophisticated data and patient reports than a simple Holter can’t provide.

Individuals who are asymptomatic or experience symptoms a little less often would do well with an Event or MCT monitor, which is worn for a period of up to 30 days. Patients that have frequent symptoms are best suited for this type of monitor. A Holter monitor is usually prescribed for 24-48 hours. The three types of ambulatory cardiac monitors are worn for different lengths of time. Below you’ll find a summary of what to expect when your physician prescribes to you a Holter, Event, or MCT test. ReactDx provides innovative Holter, Event, and Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) monitors – known as ambulatory cardiac monitors – that can detect arrhythmias. Only your cardiologist can diagnose and treat you, but first, your doctor must find out if you have an arrhythmia and what type it is. If caught early, many arrhythmias are treatable. Many different types of arrhythmias exist, and they can be harmless to serious and life-threatening. Should you discover that your heart beats faster or slower than this, or at an irregular pace, you may have an arrhythmia. According to the American Heart Association, the average person has a heart that beats 100,000 times per day.

Wearing a heart monitor for 30 days