Event monitoring records irregular heartbeats that don’t show up on your child’s in-office electrocardiogram (EKG). The board-certified cardiologists at Capital Pediatric Cardiology offer comprehensive diagnostic testing and heart care at 10 locations in Sacramento, Roseville, Modesto, Placerville, Cameron Park, Stockton, Chico, Anderson, and Reading, California. If you have questions about event monitoring or need to schedule an appointment, call the nearest office or request an appointment online today.
Event monitoring is diagnostic testing that records your child’s heartbeat when they have symptoms. The event monitor must be activated by pushing a button. Then it records the heart’s electrical activity for a short time.
Children can only use an event monitor if they’re old enough to recognize their symptoms and immediately press the button or ask someone else to start the monitor. Event monitors are typically used for several days to be sure they catch an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).
Children and teens learn to activate the event monitor when they experience symptoms such as:
Parents also keep a record of their child’s symptoms, noting the time and date they occurred and their child’s activities at the time.
Your Capital Pediatric Cardiology provider may recommend event monitoring when your child’s symptoms, physical exam, and/or blood tests suggest they have an arrhythmia; however, the problem doesn’t appear during their in-office electrocardiogram (EKG).
Arrhythmias often occur at irregular and/or long intervals. Wearing an event monitor for several days creates a record of the problem, giving your provider the information they need to diagnose and treat your child’s heart condition.
Like the electrocardiogram (EKG) done in the office, the event monitoring device uses self-adhesive electrodes that attach to your child’s chest and pick up electrical activity in their heart.
Wires connect the electrodes to a small monitor that records and stores the information. Most children wear the monitor around their waist.
Your provider may give your child a slightly different type of event monitor, such as:
This device automatically records symptoms that rarely occur or those that happen while your child sleeps.
This event monitor captures information before, during, and after your child presses the button.
If your child has heart-related symptoms or needs event monitoring, call Capital Pediatric Cardiology or request an appointment online today.