[Ambulatory electrocardiography in the screening of patients with palpitations]

The role of 24 hour Holter monitoring in the screening of patients complaining of palpitations is reviewed. The term "palpitations", although not always unequivocally used, implies the presence of an arrhythmia. The clinical-instrumental correlation of an intermittent symptom is made possible by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. Answers to be expected from a 24 hour Holter monitoring in order to achieve an early characterization of the arrhythmia are related to: site of origin, incidence, circadian distribution, prognostic stratification, events aggregation, presence of other asymptomatic abnormalities (rhythm, ST-T).