Resources Library

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cardiac cause of stroke. and its identification after a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) is important for guiding secondary prevention management. However, paroxysmal AF frequently goes undetected and untreated if sufficient ECG monitoring is not performed. This study...

The term ectopic means ‘‘out of place” or ‘‘abnormal position” and, in relation to the heart, refers to an early heartbeat, whose origin is from a focus other than the sinus node. They increase in frequency with age and are generally innocent, unless there is...

The term ectopic means “out of place” or “abnormal position” and, in relation to the heart, refers to an early or premature heartbeat, whose origin is from a focus other than the sinus node. Ventricular ectopics originate from an irritable focus within the ventricles and...

As the technology surrounding Holter monitors continues to evolve, more options becomes available – including Holters with multi-channels, versus one channel patch Holter monitors. Our Medical Director, Dr Harry Mond, looks at the differences between one channel and multi-channel Holter monitors, and which is better...

A cardiac arrhythmia is a rhythm disturbance of the heart which may require investigation using ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring. This may be a 24 hour or greater (Holter) or medium term (events and telemetry) recording which can be up to two weeks. Longer term recording...

There are a number of computerised packages that can measure Holter ECG recordings over a 24 or shorter period. They require high quality tracings and despite being available in a Holter monitor report, none have been found to be useful in routine medical management. Access...

Corporeal and particularly extra-corporeal interference is a very common problem encountered with both resting electrocardiograph (ECG) tracings and ambulatory recordings. When subtle, the artefact can mimic cardiac arrhythmias, leading to incorrect interpretation of the tracings. There is also a complicated interference group, usually due to...

Ambulatory ECG (AECG) telemetry is typically used to evaluate symptoms such as syncope, dizziness, chest pain, palpitations, or shortness of breath, which may correlate with intermittent cardiac arrhythmias. Additionally, AECG is used to evaluate patient response to initiation, revision, or discontinuation of arrhythmic drug therapy...

The resting 12-lead electrocardiogram is a surface record of the electrical activity of the heart plotted against time with the actual standardised recording of the non-invasive test being an electrocardiograph (ECG). The test has served as the gold standard for arrhythmia recognition. The resting 12-lead...

Atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF) account for ~ 10% of all strokes and 50% of cardioembolic strokes. Stroke associated with AF carries a poor prognosis as more than 50% of the survivors remain with a severe deficit, and recurrence may be as high as 12%...