One Month ECG Monitoring

What is One Month ECG Monitoring?

A One Month ECG Monitor is a hand held cardiac event recorder. The compact monitor is carried around in your handbag or pocket for a month, readily available to record the electrical activity of your heart on demand as you go about your normal daily routine. The monitor is used to detect and assess abnormal rhythms of your heart and their relationship to any symptoms you may be experiencing. The monitor is patient activated, which means that you must press a button on the monitor to record your heart’s ECG whenever you feel symptoms.

How does it work?

A Cardiac Technician will explain in detail how to use the monitor at the time of your appointment.

When you experience any symptoms such as palpitations or missed beats you need to record an ECG of your heart by placing the monitor on your bare chest wall and pressing a button on the machine. The monitors record up to six events. Once the monitor is full of recordings, you will need to telephone our Murdoch rooms to download the recorder and clear its memory. A diary will also be provided for you to note down important activities (eg exercise, housework, gardening etc) and any symptoms (eg chest pain, palpitations, etc) that you may experience. Once you have returned the monitor, the tracings will be reported on by a Cardiologist.

How do I prepare for the test?

There is no special preparation for this test. You will need to return to the test centre that initially fitted the monitor on the day and at the time specified. It is very important to promptly return the monitor, as another patient will be scheduled to use it.

How long does the test take?

A One Month ECG Monitor takes approximately 30 minutes to fit and explain.