Long term ECG for cardiac insufficiency
A long-term ECG is mainly performed in patients with (temporary) cardiac arrhythmia and/or unclear dizziness and unconsciousness (syncope). For this purpose, the patient receives a portable recorder which is attached for 24 to 48 hours and continuously records ECGs over this period. Due to the long period of time, there is a high probability that the cardiac arrhythmia will also be recorded. Since some cardiac arrhythmias only occur under stress, e.g. heavy lifting, it is important that the patient keeps a diary of what activities he/she was doing when the arrhythmia occurred (e.g. whether he/she slept or exercised) and what medications he/she was taking.
What you have to pay attention to during a stress ECG in case of cardiac insufficiency
To avoid serious complications such as ventricular fibrillation in the event of a heart attack, a defibrillator must always be kept handy during the exercise ECG. Absolute contraindications, i.e. prohibitions to perform this examination, are a heart attack that has already occurred or unstable angina pectoris. A stress ECG can also be used to assess the severity of a cardiac insufficiency.
This would show whether the symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath) occur only under very high stress or already at very low stress levels. In the course of heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia can always occur, which can be diagnosed by means of the exercise ECG. Cardiac arrhythmias are always associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
