Abstract
Background: Skin prepared by scrubbing with sandpaper before attaching electrodes of Holter ECG is useful in the noise reduction of recording waveforms, but is a cause of skin irritation or injury. In this study, we compared the Holter ECG waveforms obtained using a new electrode with a shield structure (Shield Sensor NL4605H, Nihon Vinyl Cord Corp.) with those obtained using a conventional electrode. Methods: In 9 volunteers, Holter ECG electrodes were attached to the chest under four different conditions: a new electrode without skin preparation, a conventional electrode without skin preparation, a conventional electrode with preparation using alcohol, and a conventional electrode with preparation using alcohol + scrubbing. The clothes of the volunteers were swayed for 30 s to produce noise, and the waveforms were recorded. While using the new electrode as the standard, the waveforms of the conventional electrode were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 (1, very good; 2, quite good; 3, no significant difference; 4, quite poor; 5, very poor). Results: The score was high for the conventional electrode without preparation or with preparation using alcohol alone, showing superiority of the waveforms obtained with the new electrode. The score for the conventional electrode with preparation using alcohol + scrubbing was almost the same as that for the new electrode. Conclusion: Even without alcohol and scrubbing for skin preparation, the new Holter ECG electrode with a shield structure maintains good waveforms even in the presence of noise, and is expected to be useful in preventing skin injury.
