ECG, Holter Monitoring & Pacemaker Clinic

Contact Us: (632) 723-0101 ext. 5403
Location: Ground Floor, Main Hospital Building

The Heart Institute’s ECG, Holter Monitoring & Pacemaker Clinic offers a complete array of diagnostic, monitoring and treatment services for a healthy heart.

Electrocardiogram (commonly referred to as EKG or ECG), a measurement of the electrical activity of the heart, is carried out by trained medical technologists who arrive at a graphic representation of the electrical activity of the heart. ECGs are performed by placing electrodes at specific locations on the body (chest, arms, and legs).

The Institute also provides Holter Monitoring, also called Ambulatory ECG. Essentially, a Holter monitor is a portable ECG recorder that a patient wears during normal daily activities, including sleeping. Sticky patches or electrodes are placed on the skin of the chest, and its wires are attached to a tiny box worn as a belt or shoulder strap. The electrical impulses are continuously recorded and stored in the Holter Monitor. The patient is asked to list his activities during the day, as well as any symptoms, such as palpitations, rapid heartbeats, and any episodes of dizziness or faintness. When the Holter monitor test is complete, a medical technician plays the tape on a special computer to analyze the recording and look for any abnormalities of the rhythm, and a cardiologist interprets the results.

The Heart Institute also provides pacemakers, a treatment for dangerously slow heart beats. Without treatment, a slow heartbeat can lead to weakness, confusion, dizziness, fainting, medication, and other complications. A pacemaker is a small device that is implanted under the skin (in the collarbone area), which sends electrical signals to start or regulate a slow or erratic heartbeat.

Pacemaker implantation is carried out by the Heart Institute’s experienced team of cardiologists. Several hours after the procedure, the patient may be allowed to go home. Most people resume their previous lifestyle with little or no limitations.

Also available at the ECG Department is pacemaker analysis. A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device that sends timed electrical impulses to the heart to make it contract and keep it beating at a regular rate. Pacemakers usually run for several years before the lithium battery runs down. Pacemaker analysis involves testing of an implanted electronic pacemaker to evaluate its function. Periodic check-ups are necessary to determine if the device is working properly.

Signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) is an electrocardiographic technique that detects cardiac signals which help predict the propensity of an individual to develop life-threatening cardiac rhythm disturbances which may lead to sudden cardiac death.

Vectorcardiography is the registration of the time course of the mean instantaneous cardiac vector or the direction of electrical activation of the heart. It reflects changes in time, amplitude and direction. It complements the ECG in detecting myocardial infarction, cardiac muscle thickening and conduction abnormalities.

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the fluctuation in the interval between consecutive heartbeats as well as the periodic change in heart rates. Presented as a graph, it represents the influence of the autonomic nervous system on the electrical activity of the heart. It is used to identify patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. HRV measurement is integrated with the Holter monitoring device. HRV testing is a simple, non-invasive and affordable procedure that can be done on an out-patient basis. The HRV facility of St. Luke’s Medical Center is the first of its kind in the country.