Can a holter monitor detect past heart attacks?

Question

I'm wearing one for 24hr's tomorrow. Do they only test for rhythm irregularities , or would it detect past heart attacks, or heart failure? Still getting chest pains occasionally, only 26, cross my fingers!

Answer 1

Past heart attacks may be visible on an EKG (the one that takes just a few minutes and is a snapshot of the electrical activity of your heart).  Not all heart attacks cause enough damage to create permanent EKG changes, though.

Heart failure is not something that shows on an EKG.  It can sometimes be seen on a chest Xray, or diagnosed by physical exam, or echocardiography.

The Holter will show irregular heart rhythm, and EKG changes caused by ischemia (not enough oxygen getting to the heart muscle)

At 26, ischemia would be pretty rare, unless you have a congenital anomaly of the heart.  Esophageal spasm or reflux can give you chest pain, and is much more likely than cardiac disease in someone your age.

The Holter should help rule out cardiac issues as a source of the pain, though.