Calcutta, Aug. 13 : When young Yuvraj and Kaif were powering their way to that near-impossible target at Lord's, it set millions of hearts pounding at jet-speed back home. Such tense moments are anything but uncommon in our lives. We feel our heart racing while waiting for our first interview, or during a sprint in the inter-collegiate sports meet. If these palpitations are caused by coffee, smoking, exertion, anxiety or excitement, they are usually benign. But if such symptoms occur without any external cause, then the root of the problem may be the heart. The warning comes in the form of symptoms like rapid heartbeats (palpitations), light-headedness, momentary senselessness (syncope), shortness of breath or chest pain (angina). For the diagnosis of these episodic rhythm disturbances, or paroxysmal arrhythmia, till recently Holter monitoring was the only test available, where the patient has to wear a tape-recorder-sized gadget attached to numerous electrodes and wires for a period of 24, 48 or 72 hours. This monitors the heartbeat round the clock. Now, a new solution - the transtelephonic ECG - promises to be less cumbersome and can equip doctors with more relevant data. 'The patient is given a mobile phone-sized gadget, called the event recorder, which can be slipped into the pocket or a handbag and carried around, without the hassle of wires and electrodes,' says Panchanan Sahoo, cardiologist at Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS). The super-speciality Bypass hospital, which just concluded one year of telemedicine, has introduced transtelephonic ECG. Whenever the patient senses irregular heartbeats or experiences symptoms like lightheadedness, palpitations, shortness of breath or chest pain, he/she places the machine in front of the chest and activates it by pressing a switch. The machine records the ECG for a minute. Unlike Holter monitoring, this recorded ECG can be sent to the telecardiology department of the hospital from any part of the world in just a minute over telephone. The cardiologists analyse the ECG immediately and get back to the patient with necessary instructions. Depending on the seriousness of the rhythm abnormality, doctors may advise the patient to take medication or to get admitted to the hospital. 'This technique has many advantages over Holter monitoring. Long-term monitoring of a patient can be done outside the hospital and medical advice and treatment can be provided immediately. Quite often, this makes the difference between life and death,' explains Sahoo. The process of recording and transmitting the ECG by this device is very simple and can be done from anywhere in the world. Unlike in Holter monitoring, where the patient is prevented from taking a bath and has to be very careful not to dislodge any wires, the event recorder allows complete freedom, as the patient doesn't have to wear it round the clock. 'The event recorder is useful for confirmed diagnosis of arrhythmia in patients with symptoms like paroxysmal (episodic) palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, syncope, etc. We are urging all GPs with ECG facility at their clinics to avail of this technology. They can transmit the ECG to RTIICS and we will provide immediate consultation and free advice,' says Alok Roy, vice-chairman of the hospital.