If you’ve ever had your heart suddenly start racing, fluttering or beating irregularly, you’ll know how strange it can feel.
The frustrating part is that by the time you get checked, your heart rhythm may have gone back to normal.
That’s where an ECG Holter monitor can be useful.
Unlike a standard ECG, which records your heart’s electrical activity for a few minutes, a Holter monitor keeps recording for much longer. Depending on the type of monitoring, this can be anywhere from 24 hours to several days.
ZoomDoc now offers private ECG Holter monitoring from home, allowing you to wear a medical-grade monitor during your normal day and have the recording reviewed by cardiac rhythm specialists and ZoomDoc GPs.
What is a Holter monitor?
A Holter monitor is a small, portable ECG device that continuously records your heart rate and rhythm while you go about your day.
It’s different from the ECG you might have had at your GP surgery, which only captures what your heart is doing during those few minutes.
A longer recording can be useful when symptoms are intermittent. For example, if you experience palpitations one day but feel completely fine when you have a routine ECG.
Holter monitoring is commonly used when doctors are investigating possible abnormal heart rhythms, including episodes of palpitations, dizziness or fainting.
Small electrodes placed on the chest allow the Holter monitor to continuously record the heart’s electrical activity.
Who might benefit from Holter monitoring?
There are several reasons someone might be considered for ambulatory ECG monitoring.
You keep getting palpitations
Palpitations can feel like your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering or missing a beat.
They can have many different causes, and they don’t automatically mean there is a heart problem. However, if they keep happening, last for longer than a few minutes or are becoming more frequent, it is worth discussing them with a healthcare professional.
A Holter monitor can record what your heart is doing when those symptoms occur, rather than relying on a snapshot taken when you happen to be feeling well.
You experience unexplained dizziness or near-fainting
Dizziness, light-headedness or episodes of nearly fainting can sometimes be associated with changes in heart rate or rhythm.
If these symptoms come and go, longer-term monitoring may help clinicians see whether there is a relationship between your symptoms and your heart rhythm.
You’ve had an ECG that didn’t explain your symptoms
A normal ECG can be reassuring, but it doesn’t necessarily rule out an intermittent heart rhythm problem.
If an abnormal rhythm isn’t happening during those few minutes of a standard ECG, there may be nothing unusual to capture.
This is one of the reasons ambulatory ECG monitoring is used when symptoms are occasional or unpredictable. NICE guidance also recommends ambulatory ECG monitoring when suspected intermittent atrial fibrillation hasn’t been detected on a standard ECG.
You already have a known heart rhythm problem
Holter monitoring isn’t only used to investigate new symptoms.
It can also be used to monitor someone with a known arrhythmia or to assess how their heart rhythm is responding to treatment.
Your GP or cardiologist can advise whether longer-term ECG monitoring is appropriate for you.
Why monitor your heart at home?
Your heart doesn’t behave exactly the same way when you’re sitting in a clinic as it does when you’re working, walking around, exercising, relaxing or sleeping.
An ambulatory monitor allows your heart rhythm to be recorded during everyday life.
With ZoomDoc’s at-home service, the monitor is sent directly to you. You choose the monitoring period — from 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours to 5 or 7 days — and wear the device during that time.
There’s no need to sit in a waiting room for hours while hoping your symptoms decide to appear.
What does wearing a Holter monitor involve?
The monitor is attached to your chest using electrodes and records your heart’s electrical activity continuously.
Traditional Holter monitors can involve several wires, but the ZoomDoc service uses the Cortrium C3W, a compact, wire-free device designed for extended everyday wear.
You can carry on with normal activities while wearing it. The device is water-resistant and can be worn in the shower, although it should not be fully immersed, used for swimming or taken into a sauna or infrared cabin.
The idea is to capture your heart rhythm as it actually behaves during your normal routine.
What happens after the monitoring period?
Once you’ve finished wearing the monitor, you return it using the prepaid packaging provided.
Your recording is then analysed for potential rhythm abnormalities and reviewed by clinicians experienced in cardiac rhythm assessment. ZoomDoc’s own GPs also review the findings as part of the clinical process.
You’ll receive a clinical report containing information such as:
- A summary of the findings
- Heart rate trends
- Identified rhythm abnormalities
- Relevant ECG rhythm strips
- A plain-English explanation
- A PDF report that can be shared with your GP or cardiologist
ZoomDoc states that reports are usually completed within 48 hours of receiving the returned device.
ZoomDoc’s private ECG Holter monitoring is available for 24 hours through to 7 days, with the monitor delivered directly to your home and a clinical report provided after analysis.
Is a Holter monitor the same as a normal ECG?
Not quite. Both tests record the electrical activity of your heart, but they are designed for different situations.
A standard ECG is a short recording. It’s useful for assessing your heart rhythm at that particular moment.
A Holter monitor records continuously over a much longer period, which can make it more useful for symptoms that come and go.
Think of a standard ECG as taking a photograph, while Holter monitoring is more like recording a video.
Neither test is suitable for every situation, and your GP or another healthcare professional can help determine what type of assessment is appropriate.
Do you need a GP referral?
For the ZoomDoc private at-home service, you don’t need a referral to purchase the monitoring service. You can share the resulting report with your GP or cardiologist if appropriate.
It’s important to remember that private monitoring doesn’t replace medical assessment. If you have new or concerning symptoms, speaking to your GP or another healthcare professional remains important.
And if you’re currently experiencing palpitations that won’t go away, particularly alongside chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint or fainting, the NHS advises seeking urgent medical help.
Could an ECG Holter monitor be right for you?
If your heart symptoms are unpredictable, a few minutes of monitoring may not always be enough to capture what is happening.
Longer-term ECG monitoring gives clinicians a much bigger picture of your heart rhythm across ordinary daily life, whether you’re working at your desk, walking to the shops, exercising or asleep.
For people who want a private option without travelling to a hospital or waiting for an appointment, at-home Holter monitoring can provide a convenient way to collect that information.
And, perhaps most importantly, it gives you something much more useful than trying to describe that mysterious “funny heartbeat” you had three Tuesdays ago.
ZoomDoc’s private ECG Holter monitoring is available for 24 hours through to 7 days, with the monitor delivered directly to your home and a clinical report provided after analysis.