12-lead Holter electrocardiography

Abstract

This brief review is focused on 12-lead Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) recording including a review of the literature and the description of the advantages of its application. The standard 12-lead ECG provides a bedside snapshot of the electrical activity of the heart including vector information, but a snapshot of a few beats for some seconds might miss the whole story. Traditional Holter ECG displaying two or three leads may record all heart beats during a prolonged period, but the limited vector information might be a cause of shortcomings in the ECG diagnosis. The 12-lead Holter ECG overcomes these disadvantages and should be preferred for detecting episodes of arrhythmias, localize their origin or the localization of myocardial ischemia. The 12-lead Holter ECG monitoring is efficient in the evaluation of the effect of drugs or interventional therapeutic procedures, i.e., efficiency of biventricular pacing in patients with heart failure and permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). The automatic analysis of parameters in 12-lead Holter ECG is also providing information for risk stratification. In order to obtain a precise diagnosis based on the criteria established on standard ECG, the "real" 12-lead ECG with ten electrodes is advocated.

A meta-analysis of ECG abnormalities (arrhythmia) in cardiomyopathies

“…If so, what is the prevalence, and the most common types of arrhythmias affecting different structural forms of CM. (2) What are the implications of the findings to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with CM? The second question is based on findings that different structural forms of arrhythmias in patients with heart disease could have important diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic implications.…”

“…However, its limited vector information is an important shortcoming in clinical diagnosis of heart diseases. The 12-lead Holter ECG overcomes these limitations and is preferred for the detection of arrhythmias and localizes the origin of arrhythmias [2]. Besides the detection of arrhythmia and electrical conduction abnormalities, the 12-lead Holter monitoring is useful for the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of drugs and other clinical interventions such as assessing the efficiency of bi-ventricular pacing in patients with heart failure (HF) and comorbid permanent atrial fibrillation (AF).…”

Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

“…As HRMs were developed for healthy athletes, the question of their use in ECG recording has become pertinent. The Holter ECG is used to assess arrhythmias and recognizes both the type of arrhythmia and its location with high probability [ 12 ]. Many athletes use HRMs daily and have observed unexpected increases in HR during training, suggesting the presence of an arrhythmia, causing them to undergo extensive and unnecessary diagnostic testing, including electrophysiological tests.…”

Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

“…As HRMs were developed for healthy athletes, the question of their use in ECG recording has become pertinent. The Holter ECG is used to assess arrhythmias and can not only recognize the type of arrhythmia, but also indicate the location with high probability [10]. Many athletes use HRMs daily and have observed unexpected increases in HR during training, suggesting arrhythmias .…”