Cardiac Monitoring

Name: Cardiac Monitoring
Brand: San Diego Cardiac Center
Rating: 3.9 (26 reviews)

Your doctor may require cardiac monitoring for a specific time, whether overnight, days, or weeks. If it is suspected that you may have a heart condition that should be monitored closely, or you are currently recovering from heart surgery, you may need to wear some form of a heart monitor. Each device is different and serves a specific purpose.

Holter Monitor

A Holter monitor is essentially a portable EKG device that is continuously monitoring your heart rate. This device can be worn for a day or up to two weeks. The device records the electrical activity in your heart, which your heart doctor will review later. It has electrodes that attach to the skin on your chest, with the device itself small enough to be carried in a pocket. If your doctor suspects you have heart arrhythmia, which has not been confirmed with a standard EKG, you may need to wear this device.

Other conditions that may be suspected that would lead to the need for a Holter monitor include atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat that may lead to the development of blood clots, a stroke, heart failure, or other conditions), ventricular tachycardia (a type of abnormal heart rhythm in which the lower heart chamber beats too fast), and supraventricular tachycardia (a condition in which the heart will suddenly beat far faster than normal).

Event Recorders

A cardiac event recorder is a portable device that you will wear and activate when you experience symptoms. It records the electrical activity of the heart. It is essentially a wearable EKG device. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or faint, the device is activated to record what is occurring in your heart. Your heart symptoms may be intermittent and have not been captured with a standard EKG test. The device is activated by you when the symptoms you experience occur less frequently. This device may be ordered if you suffer from heart arrhythmia (a fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat).

Implantable Loop Recorders

This type of heart monitor is implanted beneath the skin of your chest. It may be ordered if you suffer from fainting, heart palpitations, or heart rhythms that put you at risk of a stroke. Your cardiologist places the device beneath your skin, above your heart, in a minor procedure. It functions as a mobile EKG for ongoing heart monitoring to help diagnose abnormal heart rhythms that may be the cause of your symptoms.

Implantable Pulmonary Artery Sensor

It may be necessary to monitor the progress of a treatment for heart failure with an implantable device. This system uses a sensor that measures your artery pressure and your heart rate. The device is very small, about the size of a dime, and is implanted in a simple, outpatient procedure.

You will not feel discomfort as you will be administered a mild sedative, so the implantation procedure is performed without stress or pain. A catheter is inserted in your femoral vein (in the thigh), guided by X-rays.

It is threaded through the vein to your heart and to your pulmonary artery. Once the artery is accessed, the sensor is released into the artery.

Get Help From the Team at San Diego Cardiac Center

If you require a heart monitor, our team at San Diego Cardiac Center is here to help. With four decades of serving the San Diego community, our cardiac specialists stay ahead of the curve in the most recent developments in heart health, including advanced heart monitoring devices. We are involved in clinical research and often have access to innovative treatments and devices before they become available at any other clinic or hospital in the region. We are compassionate, caring, and dedicated to performing diagnostic tests and treatments to help our patients live longer, healthier lives.