An Audit of Utilisation of Holter Tape Facilities at Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Abstract

Holter tape analysis is widely used to both confirm and exclude the presence of significant arrhythmias. We have studied the utilisation of the Holter service at Glasgow Royal Infirmary over a period of 6 months. During this period 305 × 24 hour Holter tapes were recorded. Outpatient referrals generated 95% of these requests with only 5% of requests for in patient recordings. The median delay from request date to dispatch to the referring doctor was 14 days. No arrhythmia was detected in 77% and only 3% had a detectable symptomatic significant arrhythmia. The recording was felt to demonstrate the presence of a relevant arrhythmia in 17% of cases and to help exclude a possible arrhythmia in 61%. The capital cost per tape was £20.82. In conclusion Holter monitoring is an inexpensive way of analysing the heart rhythm over an extended period which is probably underused.