Heart rate

Hello

Just had results of 24hr Holter monitoring. Range 31 to 59 beats per minute, mean heart rate of 44 beats per minute. (Don't know  for how long levels are sustained.)

Could anyone help me to understand what this actually means, please.

Thank you.


4 Comments

It means that there's probably a pacemaker in your future.

by Protimenow - 2020-07-22 15:01:42

The range indicates the minimum heart rate recorded, and the maximum heart rate recorded. It doesn't say how much time your heart was beating at either the maximum or the minimum. 

In statistical terms, a 'mean' is the average between the maximum and minimum - so an actual mean, in this case, would be 45. 

I suspect that the results don't use the 'mean' in exactly the statistical sense - perhaps this value represents your heart rate for the greatest amount of time, during the monitoring. Perhaps they just made a rounding decision that brought the value to 44. 

I'm not sure. 

What would probably be most valuable from a holter monitor would be the amount of time your heart beat at a particular rate, and any arrhythmias detected. 

If the monitor showed that most of the time your heart was beating at 59, and your heart rate only dropped to 31 once, and for a few seconds, this may not be especially troubling to your doctor. If OTOH, it was often at 31, and rarely at 59, this would be a much larger red flag. 

Your doctor may try managing your heart rate using medications before considering a pacemaker. Maybe not. 

I'm not a physician, but I've done some work on statistics. 

I hope this helps.

Heart-rate

by IAN MC - 2020-07-22 15:03:44

Izzy    The normal range for resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 bpm. Anything lower than this is considered to be  " bradycardia" which is the main reason people have pacemakers.

Having said that, some people ( particularly athletes ) lead normal lives with resting HRs lower than 60 but this is not common.

Ian

Heart rate

by Gemita - 2020-07-22 15:11:04

Izzy, have you actually had a follow up appointment with your EP or cardiologist to discuss these heart rate results ?  Did the 24hr Holter show any other problems like heart rhythm problems or were they just looking at your heart rate ?

Going back to your original posting about whether or not you should get a pacemaker, my feeling is that it depends on your symptoms and whether they are troublesome and need to be treated.  You say you feel well at the moment, so I am assuming you do not feel your low heart rates or have any major symptoms needing treatment.  Low heart rates, especially at night can be fairly normal in very fit people.  It really depends on your “symptoms”.

Looking at your heart rate my EP was never too concerned if I had a heart rate of 44 bpm at rest.  But 44 bpm during the day when I am trying to move around would be far too low for me and require pacing.  Did you feel well during the 24hr Holter monitoring period ?

Yes it would be interesting to know what time you got your lowest heart rate reading and for how long and whether there were any significant pauses.

 

that's low

by Tracey_E - 2020-07-22 22:10:26

Under 60 is abnormal, under 50 should be taken seriously. 

The other thing that jumps out at me is your highest is only 59. Were you active at all while you had the monitor on? Wait and see what your doctor has to say but my not-a-doctor-but-been-in-your-shoes thought is you would feel better with it. Sometimes we don't realize we are symptomatic until we have something to compare it to. I knew I needed it when I finally got mine, but I was amazed at how much different I felt. It was like turning the light on. Whether you feel great or not a rate that low, especially if you exerted at all, is hard on the body. Organs need oxygen to thrive. 

Have you had a stress test? 

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So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.