HOULTON — Thanks to the efforts of the Health Services Foundation, monitoring patient heart rates will be a bit easier.
“Ever wake up and feel like something just isn’t quite right as you might be a little dizzy or perhaps an irregular heartbeat has you concerned and you want to know just what is going on?” asked Elizabeth Dulin, Health Services Foundation executive director. “Well Holter and Event monitors will do just that.”
A Holter monitor is a portable device for continuously monitoring the electrical activity of the heart. The patient wears the monitor for 24-48 hours, with every heartbeat and cardiac rhythm stored in the device. Once the monitor is returned, information is downloaded into the computer, analyzed by Registered Nurses and reviewed by our on-staff physicians.
HEART MONITORS — Thanks to the Health Services Foundation, Houlton Regional Hospital will have additional heart monitors for patients. Checking out the new equipment are, from left, Ingrid Black, RN, Damon Stone, RN, Terrill Spinney, RN, Donna Moakler, BSRN and Elizabeth Dulin, executive director for the Foundation.
“These are outpatient monitors that patients wear home,” explained Ingrid Black, registered nurse at HRH. “The goal is to catch heart rhythms and document the data.”
Since the monitor can be worn during the patient’s regular home activities, it assists the physician in correlating symptoms of dizziness, palpitations or syncope. Since the recording covers 24-48 hours, on a continuous basis, it will be likely to detect an abnormal heart rhythm when compared to an EKG.
An event monitor is also a portable device for monitoring the electrical activity of the heart. The patient wears the monitor for one week, two weeks or 30 days as ordered by their physician. Event monitors are used for patients that may not have symptoms on a daily basis and a Holter recording of 24 or 48 hours may not be as beneficial for diagnosing the patient’s issues.
“Time can be an issue for the few monitors available due to their constant use outside of the hospital environment. Additional monitors will decrease appointment-waiting time, and decrease the length of time the patient waits for an extremely important diagnosis.”
For the 11,000 people serviced by Houlton Regional Hospital in Northern Penobscot, Northern Washington and Southern Aroostook Counties these monitors will result in continuing good care for our heart patients. These devices will help save lives when a diagnosis can be made early, thereby preventing a more acute situation later on.
We were pleased to be able to raise the funding for this new equipment as we know it will be easier for the patient and the department knowing help is right around the corner rather than facing anxious wait time until the process can be started,” Dulin added.
For more information or to make a donation, call 207-521-2147 or visit www.healthservicesfoundation.org.
