ABSTRACT
Though earlier monitors were designed to document tachycardia or bradycardia, due to improvements in solid-state digital technology and increased accuracy of software analysis systems, contemporary ambulatory electrocardiography (AECG) monitors are used for, inter alia, assessment and correlation of symptoms possibly related to arrhythmia and identification of high-risk post-MI patients with complex and frequent ventricular arrhythmias potentially benefitting from ICD implantation or other therapies. The three main components of a long-term ambulatory ECG monitoring laboratory setup are: recording devices; storage of recorded or transmitted data; and playback and analysis systems. Improvements in digital technology have allowed superior transtelephonic recordings increasing the potential uses of long-term ambulatory recording devices. Computer-assisted analytic systems significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity of ECG monitoring. The selection of continuous versus intermittent ECG recording is individualized based on the frequency and duration of symptoms.
