Le Holter monitor is a portable device that allows continuous digital recording of heart rate and rhythm (electrocardiogram) over a 24 or 48 hour period. During this time, the patient can continue with his activities.

The recording of heartbeat by a Holter monitor makes it possible to detect abnormalities of the heartbeat, especially in the event of symptoms such as palpitations to syncope (discomfort with loss of consciousness), and to adjust the drug treatment in the event of known cardiac arrhythmias.

This examination is generally carried out in addition to a electrocardiogram performed in the hospital, as it provides a record of the heart’s activity over a longer period of time.

The medical staff install self-adhesive electrodes (5 to 7) on the patient’s chest, after cleaning the skin with alcohol and after having shaved it if necessary.

The electrodes are connected to a Holter monitor, a silent recording device, to be worn on a belt or over the shoulder.

The patient can go home and go about his business. During the 24 to 48 hours that the recording lasts (day and night), the patient notes the activities he practices, the pain he feels or the accelerations felt in his heart rate.

Once the recording period is over, the monitor is removed and the data is interpreted by the cardiologist.

There are also implantable Holters, which can be inserted under the skin of the thorax through a small incision made under local anesthesia. This instrument can be used in case of unexplained and repeated syncope (ailments) because it stores the heart for several months.

After analyzing the results, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis of arrhythmias. It could be, among others:

• A tachycardia (increased heart beat)

• an bradycardia (slow heart rate)

• byextrasystoles (heart rhythm disorder caused by too early contraction of the atrium or ventricle)