This film will show you what to expect if you are having a Holter monitor
or 24-hour blood pressure monitoring test.
Hi, my name's Emily and I'm a cardiac physiologist here at the University Hospital of South Manchester at Wythinshaw
Sometimes it's important to monitor a patient
for their blood pressure or heart rate. The benefits of wearing these monitors
is that we might get to the bottom of your symptoms and hopefully
relieve them or improve medication.
Hi I'm Michael Warren I live in Macclesfield.
I'm here today to have a monitor fitted to monitor my heart for 48 hours.
OK, so first of all, can you tell me your date of birth, please?
I suffer from atrial fibrillation and about 3-4 weeks ago I had a few
flutters in my chest which felt unusual so they've arranged for me to come here today.
This is a 48 hour ECG monitor. It's going to record every single heartbeat.
A holter monitor is an ECG monitor that can record your heart rate
and your heart rhythm from 24 hours to seven days.
Do you mind slipping your top off, please?
When the patient comes to clinic, we fit the Holter monitor to their chest.
So I just need to prepare your skin first of all.
We prepare the skin by giving it maybe a clean or a wipe and sometimes a shave.
This jelly in the back of the sticker, if you can see it squishing, is what's picking up your heartbeat.
The 24 hour ECG monitor, we would like you to keep on the whole time. You can't get it wet, so no baths or showers.
If something brings on their symptoms, the patient can do that, whether drinking coffee, maybe
bringing on their palpitations or for some it might be sport.
I'm going to give you a diary card.To tally it together, if you get any of your palpitations, your heart's racing at all,
would you write down your symptoms for me on this card?
When you return your monitor, it'll be analysed by a cardiac physiologist.
Those results will be sent to the consultant for review.
That's your paperwork and I'll show you the way out.
- Thank you very much. - Thank you.
My name is John Vernon Kearns.
I'm 77 years of age. I'm here to have
a blood pressure monitor fitted. They obviously want to keep an eye on me
Like when the doctor does your blood pressure
and they put the tight cuff around your arm,
this is doing the same job. There's no preparation involved for the blood pressure monitor
So you pop your arm in there. We'll do a blood pressure recording first
to make sure the device is working correctly.
This time it's 153/80.
The patient should wear the monitor day and night.
So can I just give that to you for a moment?
The blood pressure monitor will inflate every 30 minutes during the daytime and every hour in the nightime
we want you to carry on as normal - to see what your blood pressure is like when you're at home
carrying out your normal tasks
- One more thing John you mustn't get it wet -I won't get it wet, I'll take it off before I shower.
obviously the doctor knows what
he's looking for and I don't really feel any great difference
I'm just glad to be alive
We're up at my allotment in Macclesfield.
I had an ECG monitor fitted yesterday about 11 o'clock.
Wore it yesterday, last night in bed. No issues at all.
You don't feel you've got it on.I've had a few symptoms
that I was hoping would appear. When I was digging the leeks I could feel my heart beat.
But there's been no problems with it. I've got my allotment. I like to keep myself fit and healthy.
The issues I've got with my heart,
it's just part of life's rich recipe I suppose
and you just get on and deal with it and carry on as best as you can.
Coronary heart disease is still the single biggest killer in the UK,
but for over 50 years we've tirelessly pioneered research
that has helped transform the lives of people
living with heart and circulatory conditions.
Join our fight for every heartbeat in the UK. Every pound raised, every minute of your time
and every donation to our shops will help make a difference.