ECG monitoring at home
Cardiac ECG monitoring is a recording of your heart rate and rhythm (ECG) over a prolonged period of time while you go about your daily life. It is often referred to as Ambulatory monitoring.
Why do I need an Ambulatory ECG Monitoring?
A resting ECG records the same information but only over approximately 10 seconds. When it comes to arrhythmias (abnormal rhythms of the heart), the resting ECG is often not always sufficient to make a diagnosis.
This is because heart rhythm disturbances often occur infrequently and may last only for very brief periods of time. A resting ECG, or even several ECG’s taken at different times, are likely to miss these fleeting arrhythmias. This is when ambulatory ECG monitoring is used as it records your heart over a much longer period of time.
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You may self-refer yourself for one of the specific concerns below or you may just want reassurance that your heart is healthy as part of your own health screening and well-being.
Which duration do I need?
Deciding on the duration of the heart monitor depends how often you are experiencing symptoms, daily or frequent symptoms we advise either a 24 hour or 48 hour monitor, If your symptoms are less frequent, we advise on a 7 day monitor.
On our order form we will ask you to give us as much information about your symptoms as possible, for example, how often you get them and how long do they last.
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We will then look at the information and if we feel that you have booked the wrong duration for your monitor, we will contact you and advise you on the best duration of ambulatory monitoring to most likely record the arrhythmias you have been experiencing.
​Fitting your ambulatory ECG device
Our patch devices are very simple to fit yourself, with easy-to-use instructions.
The device will be dispatched within 48 hours of ordering, via Royal Mail next day delivery. Once you have worn the device you simply put it in a pre-paid return envelope and take it to your local post office. It will then be returned to us via next day delivery.
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Very little or no preparation is required before fitting the device. The only thing we ask is that you do not put any moisturising lotions or oils on your chest the day that you are going to fit the device, this may affect how well the patch of the device sticks to your chest. If you have chest hair, we will need you to shave this area prior to attaching the patch, this also maximises how well the device sticks to your chest.
Continue to take all your medications unless you have been instructed by your referring doctor otherwise. You can still shower with the device on but please do not have a bath or any other activity that would immerse the device in water for a longer period of time.
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If you are unsure about fitting the device and would prefer our Physiologists to do it, please tell us when you place your order and we will organise an appointment for you to attend our clinic. We will give you instructions on how to remove it and then you can post it back to us for analysis.
Please note: Ordering over a weekend or public holiday may slow down our dispatch times. If you are unable to return via a post office you can put the envelope in any royal mail post box but please be aware that this will mean that the results take longer to get back to you.
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For any questions or advice, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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