What can a wearable heart monitor detect?

It’s more common than not: The symptoms you’re seeing your doctor for aren’t present at your appointment. Perhaps they only occur at specific times of day or after certain activities or appear unpredictably without a clear pattern.

And when it’s something serious – like your heart skipping a beat – you don’t want to leave it up to chance. That’s where at‑home monitoring tools, such as cardiac event monitors, come into play.

“A wearable cardiac monitor is a small, discreet patch that continuously records your heart rhythm over days or weeks, providing far more insight than a brief office EKG,” says Dr. Rahul K. Bhardwaj, a cardiologist at Advocate Health Care.

These cardiac tools help create a clearer, more complete picture of symptoms as they happen in real time instead of what can be observed during office visits.

Dr. Bhardwaj explains that one of a wearable heart monitor’s most useful features is a symptom button: When you feel something unusual, such as fluttering, a skipped beat or dizziness, you simply press the button, allowing your doctor to see exactly what your heart was doing at that moment.

“As an example, ‘palpitations’ can mean different things to different people: racing, pounding, irregular or skipped beats. The monitor helps turn these subjective symptoms into clear, objective data,” he says.

These devices detect potentially serious conditions that can otherwise go unnoticed, such as atrial fibrillation (which increases the risk of stroke and heart failure) or significant pauses in the heartbeat that may lead to dizziness or fainting.

Dr. Bhardwaj notes early detection through cardiac monitoring is critical, as catching heart conditions can reduce the risk of stroke and other complications. But they also help providers make more accurate diagnoses and plans of care for patients.

If you’re concerned about a potential heart condition, ask your provider whether a wearable cardiac monitor is right for you.

Want to learn more about your risk for heart disease? Take a free online quiz.