Millions of people experience irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, at some point during their lives. Most are harmless and occur in healthy people, while others can be more serious and even fatal.
Heart rhythm disorders are categorized by:
- The rate (too slow or too fast);
- The location (the upper or lower chambers of the heart); and
- The beat (steady or chaotic and irregular).
Common types of heart arrhythmias include:
- Bradycardia – Occurs when the heart beats too slowly to ensure proper circulation (less than 60 beats per minute)
- Tachycardia – A type of arrhythmia when the heart beats too rapidly (greater than 100 beats per minute)
- Fibrillation – A heart rhythm disorder that involves a chaotic or irregular heartbeat or rhythm
Your doctor may recommend that you wear a cardiac monitor to help diagnose the type of arrhythmia you are experiencing or to monitor your heart following a procedure or treatment.
There are several different types of cardiac monitors:
- eXtended Daily Monitors – Daily monitors are equipped with special technology to automatically detect, record and wirelessly transmit cardiac data.
- Cardiac Event Recorder – This device attaches with only two or four electrodes and is designed to capture data on specific cardiac events while worn over the course of 30 days. When a patient experiences symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, they can push a button on the monitor to record information about their heart rate and rhythm.
- Holter Monitor – A Holter monitor is a small recording box patients attach to their chest with adhesive electrode patches. The monitor continuously records beat-to-beat information about a patient’s heart for a 24 or 48-hour period.
More information on heart rhythm disorders, treatments and research is available from The Heart Rhythm Society and the American Heart Association.