Establishing an accurate arrhythmia diagnosis.
Many arrhythmias are asymptomatic, and even symptomatic patients may grossly underestimate the frequency and duration of arrhythmic episodes. The conventional medical history, clinical examination, routine electrocardiogram, and routine rhythm strip are inadequate for the detection of transient arrhythmias. Holter electrocardiography is the only currently available clinically documented technique for diagnosing transient arrhythmias. A wide selection of Holter equipment is now available, providing recorders and scanners with different performance characteristics. Portable ECG telephone transmitters and alarms are not Holter recorders, and they will probably have a different clinical application. The emerging concept of quantitative Holter electrocardiography will permit better selection of patients for drug therapy and provide a rational basis for therapeutic follow-up.