Heart monitoring or event monitoring is when a cardiac (heart) event monitor is used to record the electrical activity of the heart. It may also be used to detect irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias.

If you are advised to have heart monitoring or event monitoring - a cardiac event monitor will be used to record the electrical activity of your heart. Your consultant or doctor may recommend that you are fitted with a heart event monitor for a certain period of time so you can monitor your symptoms whilst you go about your daily activities.

You may be suffering from irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias, and heart monitoring is used to detect this.

You will be fitted with a cardiac event recorder to monitor your heart’s events. This is a small battery powered device that you can control and which will record when you have symptoms. You will be asked to make a note of what you were doing at the time, and of any other symptoms that you were experiencing. Monitoring usually takes place over a 24-48 hour period, or up to a 7 day period. This is usually decided by your consultant.

Although ECGs are useful, they are only monitoring that specific moment in time, so a constant monitor over a set period helps establish patterns and helps diagnosis.