Ambulatory Electrocardiogram

You may not be able to have the test or the results may not be helpful if:

• You do not keep a detailed diary of your daily activities and symptoms. The intermittent recorder will give accurate results only if you remember to start the recorder when symptoms of possible heart problems occur.
• The electrodes are not in the right spot.

Ambulatory heart monitoring is most effective when you are able and willing to carefully follow instructions throughout the monitoring period.

If you tend to pass out from a heart problem, your doctor will choose a monitor that will record these episodes. The continuous recorder and the loop recorder work best for people who pass out when they have symptoms of a heart problem. The loop recorder is not useful if you lose consciousness for more than a few minutes or if you are so confused when you wake up that you are unable to start the recorder.

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