KNOW MORE ABOUT CONDITIONS THAT MAY REQUIRE HEART MONITORING
Understanding is the key to finding answers.
Understanding Potential Heart Conditions
Accurate information is the key to better healthcare. Continuous heart monitoring gives your doctor important information about your health that may help with diagnosis and treatment of underlying heart conditions.
Conditions that heart monitoring is often used to diagnose or manage include:
UNEXPLAINED FAINTING
Fainting is a common problem. Up to 35% of the population will have at least one faint during their lifetime1. In Australia, fainting is the 5th most common cause of hospitalisation from the Emergency Department2. Yet, half of those admitted to the hospital leave without a diagnosis.3 People faint for many reasons but it can be a sign of an underlying heart condition.
UNEXPLAINED STROKE
A stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain is suddenly blocked or bursts, resulting in damage to the brain tissue. The majority of strokes occur as a result of an obstruction, such as a blood clot. Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for stroke. An unexplained (or cryptogenic) stroke is a stroke of unknown cause, which requires further testing.7
HEART PALPITATIONS
Heart palpitations are relatively common, accounting for 16% of symptoms that cause patients to go to their primary care doctor.3-5 While they are usually harmless, heart palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common condition in which the upper chambers of the heart beat very fast and irregularly, so the heart can’t pump blood effectively to the rest of the body. Left untreated, it can lead to stroke.7
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION MANAGEMENT
If you have AF or your doctor suspects that you do, cardiac monitoring may be necessary to determine how often and how long it occurs. Sometimes episodes of AF are infrequent and require longer-term monitoring and, in some cases, your doctor may also want to monitor how effective different treatments are at keeping your AF under control.
1
Ganzeboom KS, et al, Lifetime cumulative incidence of syncope in the general population: a study of 549 Dutch subjects aged 35-60 years. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2006 Nov; 17(11):1172-6.
2
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018. Emergency department care 2017–18: Australian hospital statistics. Health services series no. 89. Cat. no. HSE 216. Canberra: AIHW.
3
Mendu ML, McAvay G, Lampert R, Stoehr J, Tinetti ME. Yield of diagnostic tests in evaluating syncopal episodes in older patients. Arch Intern Med. July 27, 2009;169(14):1299-1305.
4
Mayou R. Chest pain, palpitations and panic. J Psychosom Res . 1998;44:53-70.
5
Kroenke K, Arringon ME, Mangelsdroff AD. The prevalence of symptoms in medical outpatients and the adequacy of therapy. Arch Intern Med. 1990;150:1685-9.
6
Knudson MP. The natural history of palpitations in a family practice. J Fam Pract. 1987;24:357-60.
7
Wolf PA, Abbott RD, Kannel WB. Atrial fibrillation as an independent risk factor for stroke: The Framingham Study. Stroke. August 1991;22(8):983-988.