Problems With Heart Rate Monitors

Heart rate monitors provide a window into heart function by translating the electrical activity of the heart into audible or visual readings. Monitors can detect heart disease and/or heart rhythm issues as well as provide early detection of potential problems. Heart rate monitors also help athletes train by allowing them to see how hard their heart is working. But medical technology does not always perform flawlessly. Here are some of the problems you may encounter.

Cardiac Monitors

• Hospitals use monitors as a way to keep track of heart function. They have electrodes attached to a bedside computer that has a sound and/or visual display to show the doctor your entire heartbeat cycle from "lub" to "dub" or the opening to the closing of the valves in the heart. If your doctor wants to take a closer look at your heart function, he may request an electrocardiogram (EKG). The monitor's display waves are printed on a strip of paper for the doctor to interpret. Waves that are shorter, thinner, taller, longer than normal maybe indicative of conditions like heart murmurs, palpitations, mitral valve prolapse and even heart attack. Cardiac monitors that aren't calibrated correctly or electrodes that are placed incorrectly can give abnormal readings as well. You can ask your health care professional to run the EKG again.

Heart Monitors for Athletes

• As an athlete you can use a type of heart monitor to train, helping you to see when you've reached a certain percentage of your maximum heart rate. These types of heart monitors come in two pieces: a chest strap that records the heart rate and a wristwatch device that displays the information. If the chest strap isn't put on properly, it can cause poor or no readings. Some monitors include non-replaceable batteries, so you have to mail the monitor back to the manufacturer for a replacement when the battery dies, which might take weeks. Choose a monitor that has an additional battery pack.

Fetal Heart Monitors

• Part of assessing fetal health is heart monitoring with handheld devices called Doppler or fetal heartbeat monitors. These wands are coated with a jelly and pressed against a pregnant woman's abdomen. The sound waves from the Doppler are bounced off the baby and the waves that bounce back are translated and amplified into audible sound, so you can hear the baby's heartbeat. Slow or fast heart rates can indicate stress on the baby's body. Distortions in these audio heart monitors can occur due to movement from baby or mother, bowel sounds, interference from the mother's heart beat or improper placement of the wand.

Home Heart Monitors

• Medical technology has allowed you to take the hospital home with you to maintain your health. One such monitor is called a Holter monitor, named after the doctor who perfected the technology. The monitor is portable and comes with electrodes and a small pack about the size of an iPod. The pack is the computer that translates the electrical impulses from the heart into a display that your doctor can read when you return the monitor. Problems with the readings on the monitor may come from improper placement of the electrodes or electrodes that came off during sleep or activity.

Warnings

• Heart monitors are only a part of overall cardiac care. Malfunctions due to faulty equipment, human error or electrical issues may make these medical devices give false positives. False positives are readings that suggest you do have a condition or disease when, in fact, you do not. If you have any readings or displays that you do not understand, ask your health professional for a second test or a get a second opinion.

Heart Health

• You've heard it all before: Protect your heart through diet and exercise. Eating a diet low in fat and high in fiber is one critical way to reduce any risk of heart disease due to dietary influences such as high cholesterol. Because the heart is a muscle, the body's blood pump, exercise challenges the heart to become fitter.