When a healthcare provider suspects an arrhythmia, they will likely:

• Listen to your heart with a stethoscope.
• Review your medications (including over-the-counter drugs and supplements).
• Order blood and other tests.
• Ask about the timing of the symptoms, their relationship to any activities, and how long and often the symptoms are occurring.
• If you have a smart watch which can track your heart rate and rhythm, you may be able to share the data with your healthcare provider for their review.

Below are some of the common tests to help diagnose arrhythmia.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) 

This test gives a “picture” of the electrical activity of the heart. The test places wires called electrodes on the chest and other parts of your body to measure the electrical activity. A healthcare provider can do it in their office.

Echocardiogram (Echo)

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound (or sonogram) of the heart. It uses sound waves to create an image of the inside of the beating heart.  This test is used to visualize the walls of the heart, its four chambers, .and the valves (which function as doors) between the chambers. This test can tell if the heart is working correctly.

Stress Test

A stress test shows how the heart responds when it is under stress. The “stress” might be exercising on a treadmill or bicycle. If a person cannot exercise, they may get a medication that stresses the heart. The healthcare provider compares how the heart works at rest and with stress. Stress tests can involve an ECG, an echocardiogram, or a special scan to look at the heart.  

Holter Monitor

The electrical activity of the heart can be tested over one or two days with a portable monitor at home. A person wears the monitor and can do all normal activities, except for showering. The monitor goes back to the provider’s office for analysis of results.  

Event Monitor

A person gets an event monitor if they have occasional symptoms of irregular heartbeats or dizziness. The person pushes a button to start the monitor when they feel symptoms.

Other event monitors automatically record a person’s irregular heartbeats for several weeks, or until it records enough irregular heartbeats. The provider will use the data to make a more accurate diagnosis of an irregular heartbeat.       

Electrophysiologic Testing

This advanced test monitors your heart’s electrical activity. A cardiologist will thread thin wires embedded with tiny electrodes through a vein in the arm or leg into the heart. Sometimes the cardiologist uses the electrodes to stimulate the heart muscle.

Last Updated February 2023