ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 12, 1996 TAG: 9601120048
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BOSTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
Compact heart monitors that can be worn around the clock on your belt like a Walkman can help doctors figure out whether recent heart attack victims face an especially high risk of death, a study found.
The monitors, which produce continuous electrocardiograms, can reveal when the heart is not getting enough blood - episodes called ischemia, which can foreshadow another heart attack.
A study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine found that those with ischemia face triple the usual risk of dying in the year after their heart attacks. But once people with this condition are identified, they can be given drugs called beta blockers.
The device, called a Holter monitor, is about the size of a portable tape player and is worn on the belt or on a shoulder strap. Electrodes attach to the skin on the chest, and the monitor records the heartbeat on a tape day and night.
In all, one-quarter of the heart patients had ischemia during the monitoring. In the year that followed, 12 percent of those with ischemia died, compared with 4 percent of those who were free of ischemia.
LENGTH: Short : 32 linesby CNB