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What is a Ambulatory
Blood Pressure Monitoring?

Office-based blood pressure measurements are notoriously inaccurate for many reasons, including the “white coat” effect and do not adequately reflect diurnal and activity-related variations. 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABP) is recognized as one of the most effective and reliable ways to measure the blood pressure in clinical practice.

 

A small electronic device the size of a portable radio worn on a belt around the waist is attached to a blood pressure cuff which is inflated at 15-minute intervals during the day and 30-minute intervals at night. The approximately 80 individual pressure and rate data points displayed in numerical and graphical formats along with diurnal max/min/average information form the basis of important decisions, including the need for and the adequacy of antihypertensive therapy in a variety of clinical contexts.

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What to Expect

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You will be asked to press a button on the device indicating when you retire to bed and when you wake in the morning and to keep a record of your activities in a diary.

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How to Prepare

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No preparation is required. You should be aware that OHIP does not cover the cost of this test for which you will be charged $75.00 payable by cheque or in cash. Please feel free to discuss this with our staff or with your doctor if this fee poses a hardship.

Other services we provide

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Echocardiography

Echocardiography, which is often referred to as a cardiac echo or simply an echo, uses sound waves to create images of your heart.

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Event Monitoring

Event monitoring records your heart rhythm continuously throughout the day and night & can be worn for a week or more if needed. 

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Treadmill Exercise Test 

A stress test usually involves walking on a treadmill while your heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing are monitored.

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Electrocardiography

An electrocardiogram or ECG is a recording of the electrical signals of your heart.

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Loop Event Monitoring

A type of heart-monitoring device that records your heart rhythm continuously for up to three years.

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Stress Echocardiogram

A stress echocardiogram tests how well your heart and blood vessels are working, especially under stress.

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Holter Monitoring Icon

Holter Monitoring

Holter monitoring is a small, medical device that measures your heart's activity, such as rate and rhythm.

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Nuclear Cardiac Study

An exam that uses radioactive isotopes in conjunction with a gamma camera to capture images of the heart. 

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Contrast Stress Echocardiogram

A contrast stress echocardiogram is a non-invasive cardiac test that combines a stress test and echocardiogram. 

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