The electrocardiographic Holter monitoring in experimental veterinary practice.

The long-term electrocardiographic recording with retrospective evaluation (Holter system) has been widely used not only in cardiology, but also in other disciplines of internal medicine and in pharmaceutical research. The Holter system can be used in mini-pig, sheep, dog, cat, rabbit, ferret, and rat. In this paper hardware, software, and anesthesia requirements are summarized with respect to the experimental work with various species. As the Holter systems work in bipolar mode, the use of bipolar leads in sagittal and transversal planes has been proved to be the most appropriate because of large amplitude of QRS complex and uncomplicated consequent automatic analysis of the record. In conclusion, Holter electrocardiography represents a simple and applicable method for monitoring the electrical activity of the heart in small animals' experimental studies.