Holter vs Cardiac Event Monitoring

Holter monitoring and cardiac event monitoring are both types of ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring used to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias. While both are important tools in the diagnosis and management of cardiac arrhythmias, they have different applications and durations of monitoring.

Holter Monitoring:

Holter monitoring is a type of ambulatory ECG monitoring that records the heart’s electrical activity over a 24-48 hour period. The patient wears a small device that records their ECG for the duration of the monitoring period. Holter monitoring is used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur intermittently, and can be used to diagnose underlying heart conditions such as coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy. It is typically used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur more frequently than every few weeks.

Cardiac Event Monitoring:

Cardiac event monitoring is another type of ambulatory ECG monitoring that is used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur less frequently than every few weeks. The patient wears a small device that records their ECG for a longer period of time, typically 1-4 weeks, and activates the monitor when they experience symptoms such as palpitations, lightheadedness, or fainting. Cardiac event monitoring is used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur infrequently, and can be used to diagnose underlying heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation or syncope.

While both holter monitoring and cardiac event monitoring are important tools in the diagnosis and management of cardiac arrhythmias, they have different applications and durations of monitoring. Holter monitoring is used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur more frequently than every few weeks, while cardiac event monitoring is used to diagnose arrhythmias that occur less frequently than every few weeks.

High Level Functions:

• Holter monitoring records the heart’s electrical activity over a 24-48 hour period to diagnose arrhythmias that occur intermittently.
• Cardiac event monitoring records the heart’s electrical activity for a longer period of time, typically 1-4 weeks, and is activated when the patient experiences symptoms to diagnose arrhythmias that occur infrequently.