Cardionet Cardiac Event Monitor Anyone?

[PrimeTimer]

Anyone ever have their cardiologist prescribe a cardiac event monitor to be worn 30 days? What does an event monitor detect that a 7-day Holter monitor does not? Is it worth doing the 30-day monitor? Or is it more of a PITA (pain in the arse) and overkill. All other tests look good...blood pressure, heart rhythm, no blockage except for 8 lousy beats at 4am looked strange while sleeping -one time. Cardiologist thinks the 8 beats were a red herring but now wants my husband to wear a 30-day cardiac event monitor. The week before he wore a 48 hr Holter monitor and that's how they discovered the 8 strange heartbeats. Doc doesn't seem too concerned about his heart at all and yet, wants him to wear a 30 day monitor. We don't know if this is gibberish and could go on and on or if it's really necessary. Hubby feels fine. Has energy, low BP at dialysis but not too low and still running on his own 2 feet. Very active.

Poor guy, his BP gets a little low and they freak out and make him see a cardiologist. And each doctor piles on tests and appointments and what-if's and the list goes on and on...makes you wonder if it is all really necessary or do they think we are "easy" and along for the ride. Bad enough they use him as a human pin cushion. Each doctor wants this or that out of him...do they ever stop to realize that he's a working man on dialysis 3x a week and trying to have a life on top of all that? Ah well...we are having to decide whether or not he should wear the 30-day event monitor and what will happen if he doesn't. Will they turn him into a pumpkin at midnite if he doesn't?

[cassandra]

O PT I'm sorry it never seems to stop, and I agree with you. Sofar I've refused a hysterectomy, and nose polyp operation as I didn't feel a problem, therefore no chance of benefit. Most of my real problems are caused by medical interventions anyway.
I would think: do that test when he has a symptom. Or when he is worried, or you are worried.


Good luck y'all, Cas

[PrimeTimer]

We're going to read the instructions and he'll start wearing the monitor -tomorrow. The cardiologist is not concerned about his BP getting too low during dialysis and in fact, said his BP is good. He might even start taking hubby off some of his BP meds. He said dialysis staff are the ones who freak out and automatically assume the patient has a heart problem. Guess it's better to be safe than sorry or worse, DEAD but I wonder if doctors realize the more tests they put a person thru the more stressful it becomes.

Ha! Wonder if the monitor will record any "cardiac events" the next time hubby opens a "surprise bill" aka "balance billing" from a doctor who wants more money in addition to what they were paid by Medicare and Aetna!


On a brighter note, at least this monitor can be removed for bathing and requires fewer stick on electrodes. Can't bathe with a Holter monitor.   

[cattlekid]

I just spent four days in the hospital with the mother of all viruses and I ended up having a nuclear stress test in the middle of it because I presented with chest pain and have had a previous heart attack plus my dad died of CHF.  So I am scheduled for a similar monitor between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's probably overkill I agree since I am 5.5 years post transplant and never been back in the hospital until this last week.  But I've hit my out of pocket max already this year so pile it on.  I am going to wring every bit of expense out of my insurance in 2018 until it all resets again in Jan.

[PrimeTimer]

The Cardionet Monitor has turned out to be pretty easy. Well, easier said than done, I'm not the one having to wear it, hubby is. But he hasn't complained too much. You can take it off to shower and only have to change (3) electrodes every-other day. The "sensor" is worn around your neck like a necklace with 3 wires to connect to the electrodes. The monitor part of it can be clipped to your pants or put in a pocket or you can sit it down somewhere nearby. Much like wi-fi and it comes with a recharger. It records whenever you are wearing it or you can tell it to just record an "event" any time you have symptoms that you think should be recorded. That's probably up to your doctor. Anyways, it's only a PITA because he has to do this for 30 days.

As for insurance, we're thinking the same thing....use as much of it up before we have to start over with deductibles, etc again in January. Plus, you never know when you might end up in the hospital and facing a "surprise bill" later on. Had to laugh...a bill from the hospital from back in January says the bill may not include fees for physicians that don't work for the hospital. DON'T WORK FOR THE HOSPITAL?! Gee whiz, you'd think that a doctor who greets you in the ER and treats you INSIDE a hospital is actually working FOR the hospital. I wonder if chefs who cook at restaurants could do the same thing and bill you separately for flipping that cheeseburger you just ate. Not that I've eaten any cheeseburgers...

[Simon Dog]

Gee whiz, you'd think that a doctor who greets you in the ER and treats you INSIDE a hospital is actually working FOR the hospital.

Residents always work for the hospital.  For attendings, they may work for the hospital or just have privileges at that hospital.  In either case, their services (such as saying 'hello' during rounds for $400) are generally separately billed.  For example, "managing dialysis" was billed by one MD at a hospital at $1000 per day.   Medicare pays clinic MDs about $8.50 per treatment when dialysis is managed for a transient patient visiting a clinic.

[sahern]

I wore one for thirty days and it was a PITA.  I was still working in a very physical job 12 hrs a day.  It would get in the way and sleeping with it was a pain.  In the end it showed nothing was wrong with my heart rhythm.  They saw a glitch on a 24 hr monitor so that is the reason I had to wear one.  I was still having heart problems and when I finally let them do a heart cath they found a couple of 90% blockages.