Holter monitor

Anyone know how long you should have to wait for results,from a Holter monitor?
I waited 3 weeks,then they called and told me I needed a pacemaker.
My heartbeat was down as low as 26bpm. when sleeping.
I had a complete block.
I feel that is too long to wait.

7 Comments

Holter Monitor results

by bluebowtye - 2014-07-22 02:07:05

Hi,

That does seem like a long time, especially with complete block. I wore mine for 24 hours, turned it in on a Friday and Monday afternoon they called me and told me to get in to see the Dr. right away and NO driving. He was out Tuesday so I saw him first thing Wednesday morning and my PM surgery was scheduled for the following Monday. They probably would have done it sooner, but he only does PM surgeries on Mondays.

Good luck to you,
~Sheila

seems long

by Gotrhythm - 2014-07-22 02:07:40

I'm no expert but three weeks seems long to me.As I understand it, the device is sent off somewhere where the results are "read" by a computer. If the computer detects a life threatening problem, the doctor is called right away. Otherwise the results are sent back in three days to a week.

If I remember correctly, it was only a day or two after my Holter monitor test that my cardiologist called and asked me to come in. It had showed my hr was in the low 30s with 4 to 6 second pauses.

But it sounds like that three week period is very much in the past. What about it concerns you now?

Changing Cardiologist

by langleyger - 2014-07-22 02:07:44

I had this done just over a year ago.
I was given the all clear to go back to work after my stress test.
The Holter monitor was taken off,and I went back to work. Three weeks later I got a call to tell me I needed a pacemaker.
I was 800 miles from home.
I went to a local doctor, and when he got the holter monitor report, he told me I could drop dead anytime.
He got me into hospital in Edmonton the next day.
I got my pacemaker in 2 days later.
I went back to work the day after.(Light duties). I don't do any physical work anyway.
My main concern is, I had a holter moniter for 24 hours on June 26th. I had a pacemaker clinic lined up at home last week.
I flew home and they had cancelled the clinic.
I still don't know the results from the holter monitor yet.
Going to see a doctor today, to get referred to another cardiologist.

Changing Cardiologist

by langleyger - 2014-07-22 06:07:46

I went to a local doctor here,in Boyle, AB.He is setting up an appointment with the cardiologist that treated me,when I had my heart attack.
I had no warning before my heart attack. My blood work and ECG were good 2 months before my attack.So I don't
know what good all the testing done.

Too long

by deeheart - 2014-07-22 07:07:46

Sounds too long to wait. I had my PM procedure scheduled a month out after many heart block II episodes. I started having more blocks soon after diagnosis and was progressively feeling really poorly--couldn't wait and went in through "the back door" ER and had it done much sooner. Heart blocks are unpredictable and it's better to get the safety net with a PM before another block episode--just my opinion.

Good luck!

Complete Block

by Sue66 - 2014-07-22 08:07:45

Hi: I had a Holter Monitor on, and the next day I dropped it off at the Cardiologist's office. Apparently I had a complete block during sleep also. They called me the day I dropped it off which was a Friday, and told me I had to be seen on Monday. When I got there, they told me I had to go to the hospital immediately for a PM.
I should have been called back to the office that Friday and then sent right to the hospital.
I will be seeing a new Cardiologist from this point on. Thank God I did get right in to see the top doc for PM that Monday.
Sue

At night

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-23 03:07:24

Hi!

Low heart rates and even intermittent blocks are always looked at differently when they only happen at night, while sleeping. If you check the guidelines for a pacemaker implant, you'll find that a lot of times they state "in the awake patient".

From what you posted, I do not understand whether the complete block occured at night, and that's why your heart rate dropped to 26bpm, or whether you have that complete block 24/7. You also don't mention what the holter showed at daytime.

If your rates at daytime were just fine, and your heart rate only dropped at night, and the complete block was intermittent, then it was okay that you had to wait three weeks for the results. And in that case your local doctor is wrong to state, that you could have dropped dead any time. Highly unlikely. Actually, if people would drop dead from a complete block, this forum here would be miss A LOT of members. There are people here who had complete blocks when being awake, with pauses of 15 seconds or so, and they are still with us. Also quite a few members with congenital complete heart block, who lived 20, 30 years without a pacemaker. I didn't get my first pacemaker just because of slow rates at night (around 30bpm), but the final decision to go for it was made when I started to have pauses.

So, yes, three weeks was a long time to wait. BUT to me it sounds like there were no problems at daytime, no pauses at night, and so even though you had a complete block, the three weeks wait was ok.

Inga

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