My experience with the Zio Patch

As I mentioned, my doctor suggested wearing a Zio Patch for 14 days to figure out what’s going on with these occasional heart palpitations. If you’re not familiar with the Zio Patch (I wasn’t), it’s a long-term heart monitor patch which records your heart rhythm continuously for the whole duration of the time you’re wearing it (typically two weeks, sometimes longer). I had only heard of a holter monitor before, but from what I understand, the Zio Patch is just a newer, less bothersome ( = no leads) option. It’s typically a little more expensive, but also better at catching infrequent arythmias and palpitations.  

I thought that someone would place this on my chest at the doctor’s office, but I was informed that the patch was going to be sent to me in the mail and that I’d be applying it myself. I assumed it was simple and self-explanatory then. And sure enough, technology has come a long way. These patches have become smaller and smaller over time. It’s still bigger than I thought (I literally thought it was a small, thick sticker, but the whole patch still covers an area of about 3 x 5 inches), but once it is applied, you hardly feel it though. It’s very lightweight and I haven’t had any reaction to the adhesive. 

Day 1 (half day): I knew I couldn’t shower for 24 hours after the first application, so I waited to put it on until after my workout and my shower. I prepped my chest area (if you have a hairy chest (or not), you are supposed to shave, exfoliate, and disinfect the area) and then placed the sticker on my chest according to the instruction. You make sure it’s properly attached, before pushing the button once to activate it (a green light flashes a few times). That’s it. Now the monitor is tracking your heartbeat. 

Day 2: I only did a light workout in the morning that wouldn’t warrant a full shower. I didn’t even notice the patch was there for most of the day.

Day 3: Today, I did my scheduled workout (a 40-minute endurance run) and showered afterwards. I followed instructions and kept direct water contact with the Zio patch to a minimum. 

Day 4: Nothing to report.

Day 5: Today was the day the Zio Patch started to peel off a little bit. Eek. I ran in the morning and then took a (careful!) shower and still, the patch started to peel off. Only at the edges of the lower “wing”. I consulted Mr. Google and it said to massage the patch to reattach it (or, if all else fails, use medical tape to secure it in place). Luckily my bra strap will also hold it in place during the day, so that’s a plus.  

Day 6: Nothing to report.

Day 7: Today I had a very brief episode of heart palpitations. It wasn’t as bad as previous episodes, just a very short period where my heart rate sped up out of nowhere. Thankfully, no lightheadedness. It wasn’t even „official“ tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) because my HR didn’t even go over 100 bpm, but I still felt the racing sensation as my resting heart rate is usually <60 bpm. I logged the symptoms in the Zio App and I am curious if the doctor is able to “see“ anything on the ECG results. 

Day 8: I bought some waterproof medical tape to use around the edges of the Zio patch while I shower. I am surprised how well it has stayed no and that I haven’t had any skin irritations from it. Most of the time I don’t even notice that it’s there.  

Day 9-14: Nothing to report. I had no other episodes/symptoms. The adhesive held up well, even though I took brief showers every other day.

Day 15 (half day):  I was able to take the patch off today at 3 pm after wearing it for exactly 14 days. Despite my initial worry because I had read varying reports from other people, I did not have any skin reactions to the adhesive (which seemed pretty strong) and the patch was easy and painless to remove.

I put it back in the box that it came in and sent it off to be evaluated the following day. 

All in all, it was a pleasant and easy experience and hopefully, it will give some insights on what’s going on with my heart. I also finally got my echocardiogram done on Saturday. It took about 30 minutes and the technician took all kinds of screenshots and measurements during the procedure.

My follow-up with my doctor is scheduled for July, 29, and I am very curious about the results. I mean, in the best case scenario, my heart is just fine, but hopefully by checking these tests off the list, we can focus on narrowing down what’s been causing my episodes.

Have you had to wear a heart monitor before?
Did you also get the Zio Patch or a holter monitor?