Technologic explosion pumps new life into Holter monitoring.

When ambulatory ECG monitoring was introduced in 1947, few observers could predict the instrument's potential. Today, private physicians, large medical centers, and isolated rural facilities are becoming increasingly more dependent on Holter monitoring's varied diagnostic uses. While the choices in diaries, recorders, and scanners continue to multiply at a fast pace, some experts worry that some options may be gimmicks rather than vital improvements.