What is Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) monitoring?
Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring involves measuring your blood pressure (BP) at regular intervals (usually every 20–30 minutes) over a 24 hour period while you undergo normal daily activities, including sleep.
The portable monitor is worn on a belt, connected to a cuff on the upper arm and uses an oscillometric technique to detect systolic, diastolic and average blood pressure as well as heart rate. When complete, the device is connected to a computer that prepares a report of the 24 hours, day time, night time, and sleep/wake times (if recorded), average systolic and diastolic BP and heart rate.
What is Holter monitoring?
A Holter monitor is a small, wearable device that records your heart rhythm. You usually wear a Holter monitor for 12 hours to 24 hours. During that time, the device will record the rhythm of your heart.
Your doctor may also order a Holter monitor if you have a heart condition that increases your risk of an abnormal heart rhythm, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Your doctor may suggest you wear a Holter monitor for a day, even if you haven’t had any symptoms of an abnormal heartbeat.
What is Electrocardiogram (ECG) reporting?
An electrocardiogram is used to monitor your heart. Each beat of your heart is triggered by an electrical impulse generated from cells in the upper right chamber of your heart. An electrocardiogram (called an ECG) tracks and records these electrical signals as they travel through your heart.
The recording is called a trace. Your doctor can use the trace to look for patterns among these heartbeats and rhythms to diagnose various heart conditions. An electrocardiogram is a non-invasive, painless test.
