24 hour ecg question

[saracenangel]

I have my 24 hour ECG on Thursday. I also suffer from sleep apnoea, so I was wondering if it was ok to use my CPAP machine during the test, after reading the restrictions on electronics.

[Blearyeyed]

I wouldn't have thought it would cause an issue , and in fact I'd have thought they would want you to use it so they could get real results of your night time heart activity.You may be better ringing the BHF helpline to find out because I'm sure whomever is putting on your ECG monitor may not know for sure and you could get a lot of different answers from the staff.

The 24 hour ECG machine is small and the most important thing to do would be to make sure that you don't get wires and CPAP tubes caught up.

You need to consider which side you lie in bed and have your CPAP machine and have the ECG leads and monitor box on the opposite side.

Eg, if you sleep on the left side of the bed and the CPAP on a stand on your left you would have your ECG monitor on your right, and vice versa.

You can keep the two machines away from each other then to reduce any electrical disturbance, and the ECG monitor is small and can be held on a strap at your waist at night or even in the pocket of a nightgown for easier sleeping.

You may find that it is too uncomfortable having both and you can't sleep.

You get a set of diary pages with your ECG monitor and there is a button to press if you get symptoms or do something significant like begin and end exercise , go to bed etc.

So you should write down the time you start your CPAP in case it creates changes and press the button.

And if you find you can't sleep with so much stuff attached you could take your CPAP off for the night , but press the button on the ECG and write the time down on the diary that you took it off.

As it's only a 24 hour test it's better to shower before having it put on and wait to shower until after it's removed.

But there could be different instructions for different ECG monitors and the potential of electrical disturbance so it's worth double checking with manufacturers recommendations when you know which unit they use on you.

Good Luck , Bee

[Lowerfield_no_more]

Between now and when you get fitted up why not make notes on any questions you have as they occur to you and then ask them at the fitting session.