The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A prospective randomized comparison of loop recorders versus Holter monitors in patients with syncope or presyncope.
The initial management of syncope or presyncope typically involves short-term cardiac monitoring using a Holter monitor. A loop recorder is used to extend the period of monitoring to increase the probability of obtaining a symptom-rhythm correlation. Loop recorders and Holter monitors are both used commonly, but their utility has not been compared prospectively. ⋯ Loop recorders have a much higher diagnostic yield for patients with syncope or presyncope as compared with Holter monitors. The utility of loop recorders is limited by some patients' inability to operate them correctly.