Ambulatory ECG devices record the electrical activity of the heart during daily activity. There are two types: continuous recorders and intermittent recorders, which are further divided into loop recorders and event monitors. Patients trigger recording with intermittent recorders when they experience symptoms.
An office electrocardiogram (ECG) is a small, portable medical device that records the electrical activity of the heart. It is used to detect irregular heart rhythms in patients during their daily activity. Usually a noninvasive recording device, the ECG uses skin electrodes to sense a patient’s heart activity. These electrodes are usually applied to the skin with adhesive tabs and then attached to the ambulatory ECG monitor, which is usually clipped to a belt or worn in a holster, but can also be attached to the ambulatory ECG device itself. The patient then goes about their normal daily activity with the ECG device in tow, recording any changes that might occur in their heart rate or rhythms.
There are two basic categories of ambulatory ECG. These are the continuous recorder and the intermittent recorders. Intermittent recorder ECG machines are further divided into loop recorders and event monitors.
Continuously recording ECG devices monitor the patient’s heart activity over a long period of time. This time period is usually 24-72 hours but could be much longer. Some types of long-term ambulatory ECG devices can be surgically implanted in the chest and remain there for a year or more.
Intermittent recording ambulatory ECG devices are used when patients have infrequent cardiac arrhythmias. With this type of ECG device, recording does not always happen. Instead, recording occurs only when the patient has symptoms.
Intermittent ambulatory ECG requires a certain amount of patient interaction. In the case of the loop recorder, the patient has to press a button on the recording device when they experience symptoms of heart problems. This signals the machine to record additional information about heart rhythms and electrical function during the episode.
With an event monitor, the patient must also trigger the registration process. This ambulatory ECG differs from the loop recorder and other ambulatory ECG devices in that the electrodes are not attached to the patient’s body with adhesive tabs. The ambulatory type of event monitoring ECG is a small device that can be worn like a watch or carried in a purse or pocket. When the patient experiences symptoms of cardiac arrhythmia, he presses the button to activate the device and places the electrodes of the device on the skin.
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