A Holter monitor is a battery-operated, portable device that measures and tape-records your heart’s electrical activity (ECG) continuously for 24 to 48 hours or longer depending on the monitor used. Electrodes (small conducting patches) are placed on your chest and attached to a small recording monitor that you can carry in a pocket or in a small pouch worn around your neck. The recording is then analyzed, a report of the heart’s activity is tabulated and irregular heart activity is correlated with a diary that you keep of your activity at the time. It is very important that you accurately record your symptoms and activities so that the doctor can correlate them with your Holter monitor findings. (Also called Ambulatory Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ECG or Ambulatory EKG.)

Figure 1: Holter monitor in place.
Figure 2: Electrocardiogram recorded by the Holter Monitor.