The heart rhythm can be monitored for short periods with a holter monitor or even a patient activated monitor. If however events are infrequent, but serious and potentially incapacitating it can sometimes be difficult to establish the heart rhythm during an event.

Under these circumstances it can sometimes be helpful to implant a small monitor into the body under the skin in the chest which can monitor the heart rhythm continually. Such devices are small, implanted under local anaesthetic through a small incision and can be left for long periods of time then be interrogated at a later date or after an event.

By defining the rhythm of the heart during an event it is often possible to identify whether or not the event was caused by an abnormal heart rhythm and to plan management accordingly.

Dr Dalby will discuss any proposed procedure with you including its attendant risks and benefits. When appropriate this will involve further discussion in a multidisciplinary meeting so that you may receive the best advice and reach a mutually agreeable management plan.