Wireless ECG leads: what you should know

An ECG lead is a view of the heart's electrical activity, created from signals collected by electrodes on the skin. In a wireless system, compact electrode modules or a transmitter send those signals to a monitor. This can reduce cable clutter and may make positioning easier during some types of monitoring.

The electrodes do not send electricity into the body for a standard ECG; they detect electrical activity already produced by the heart. The tracing remains dependent on correct placement, contact with the skin and the quality of the received signal.

Tell the clinician if adhesive dressings have irritated your skin before, or if an electrode becomes loose, itchy or uncomfortable. Keep the monitoring equipment dry unless you have been given different instructions. Avoid pulling a module off when changing clothes, and follow the team's directions about movement, exercise, bathing and charging.

If you are asked to record symptoms, note the time and what you felt, such as palpitations, dizziness, breathlessness or chest discomfort. Matching symptoms to the tracing can help the clinical team interpret the recording.

Monitoring equipment does not replace urgent assessment. Seek emergency care for chest pain or pressure, severe breathlessness, fainting, new weakness on one side, new confusion, or a rapid or irregular heartbeat with feeling very unwell. Contact the service that supplied the equipment if a lead repeatedly disconnects or the device reports a fault.

Ask what type of ECG recording you are having, how long you should wear the leads, which activities are allowed and how results will be communicated. Confirm who to contact for skin problems, signal loss or symptoms that occur while you are being monitored.