ECG Monitoring

An ECG (electrocardiogram) is a simple, painless test that records the electrical activity of your heart.

Every heartbeat is triggered by an electrical signal and an ECG allows clinicians to see how regularly your heart is beating and whether there are any signs of heart rhythm problems or strain on the heart.

ECGs are commonly used to investigate symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, or fainting. They may also be used to monitor known heart conditions or assess heart health before certain treatments.

A standard ECG may be recommended if you:

Have chest pain (although we do not accept patients with acute chest pain)
Experience palpitations or an irregular heartbeat
Feel dizzy or faint
Have shortness of breath
Have a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes
Need a routine heart health check

What does the procedure involve?

A standard ECG takes around 5–10 minutes and is performed while you are resting.

Small sticky electrodes are placed on your chest and limbs to record your heart’s electrical signals. This is a 12-lead ECG, meaning it looks at your heart from 12 different angles to give a detailed picture of heart activity. For comfort and practicality, the limb leads are placed just under the shoulders and on the lower torso, rather than on the wrists and ankles.

You will be asked to lie still and breathe normally while the recording is taken. The test is completely painless and does not involve any electrical shocks

Standard 12 Lead ECG

£99

A 24-hour ECG is useful if your symptoms do not happen all the time and may include:

Intermittent palpitations
Episodes of dizziness or fainting
Suspected heart rhythm abnormalities
Monitoring known arrhythmias
Assessing how well heart medications are working

What does the procedure involve?

Small electrodes are attached to your chest and connected to a portable recording device that you wear for 24 hours. The device continuously records your heart rhythm while you go about your normal daily activities. If you feel a symptom, you will be asked to press the device to allow it to monitor and flag that particular event.

You will be asked to keep a brief diary of symptoms and activities, such as exercise or sleep, to help correlate symptoms with heart rhythm changes. You should avoid bathing or swimming during the recording period, but otherwise you can continue with most usual activities.

24-Hour ECG

£199

A 48-hour ECG may be recommended if symptoms are less frequent or if more detailed monitoring is needed, such as:

Infrequent palpitations or blackouts
Ongoing investigation of unexplained symptoms
Extended monitoring of known heart rhythm conditions

What does the procedure involve?

This test is very similar to the 24-hour ECG but records your heart activity continuously for 48 hours. Electrodes remain attached to your chest and are connected to a small portable monitor worn around the neck.

You will again be encouraged to continue normal daily activities and keep a symptom diary. The longer monitoring period increases the chance of detecting intermittent heart rhythm abnormalities.

48-Hour ECG

£269