How to prevent blisters from EKG electrode adhesive?

I received my BodyGuardian ECG in the mail yesterday. It has about a 6" mini strip acrylic adhesive that holds the monitor in place. I have multiple chemical sensitivities, including to electrode adhesives, and I am supposed to wear this monitor for 4 weeks in the same place. I phoned the company and they don't seem to have any solution other than to mail me a Bridge mini strip with electrodes that are smaller but still have the same adhesive.

Does anyone know if there is a cream I can put on to protect my skin against this before putting on the 6" mini strip that will still allow the strip to not fall off? Or is there some other solution? My husband is looking online into purchasing electrodes for sensitive skin but don't know how well these will work or even stay on. Does anyone have experience with these?

Thanks for help on this.

I opted for electrodes for sensitive skin for my last monitor and it kept slipping and falling off!

My husband found this product on Amazon. We read the reviews and it sounds like it creates a barrier to protect the skin from irritation from adhesives and still allows the adhesive to stick well. We ordered some from our local pharmacy and it will be in tomorrow. Will let the Forum know if it works and whether the heart monitor can still detect the heart beats through the Cavilon barrier.

3M Cavilon No Sting Barrier Film, .75ml Wipes (Box of 50)
[www.amazon.com]

I’m allergic to anything that remains on my skin from all stitches, steri-strips, electrode pads and even a blood pressure cup hospitals kept on too long on my arm.

However (everyone is different) I’m not allergic to this:

[www.amazon.com]

Forum readers have applied this over a Zio patch monitoring device because due to exercise and sweating, Zio patches lose their adhesive and fall out. In fact, at Cedar Sinai’s hospital, they apply it automatically over the Zio Patch. Have you tried this tegaderm bandage? They use it over IVs puncture sites so you will probably know if you have had a reaction or not in the past if you ever had an IV. Or if you ever had an ablation, it’s possible they used it over your groin plug area.

I would not stick on the monitor adhesive and try taping these bandages firmly over it and see if it will work.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2023 02:34PM by susan.d.

Just remember that if you find something, it must be conductive. If it's not conductive, it will prevent the monitor from recording or distort the recording.

Why not tape the electrodes into place? Unless they must have a conductive medium between them and your skin, direct-to-skin contact will suffice, and the electrodes can be strongly adhered using 3M 'Strong Hold' tape for sensitive skin. It's blue, available at that Big Market on line.

Very true. Any suggestions on how to use the BodyGuardian ECG if the adhesive causes blisters? Ask for another ecg holter company that offers sensitive skin electrodes instead of a single strip that attaches to your chest? My last holter I had cloth electrodes that were for very sensitive skin. That worked for me.

[www.amazon.com]

Quote
gloaming
Why not tape the electrodes into place? Unless they must have a conductive medium between them and your skin, direct-to-skin contact will suffice, and the electrodes can be strongly adhered using 3M 'Strong Hold' tape for sensitive skin. It's blue, available at that Big Market on line.

She could cut off the adhesive portion of the electrodes and use tape, but the conductive gel on the metal portion of the electrode has to stay. They won't work without it.

as susan mentioned- the tagaderm can help keep it on. I have had reactions in the past. With the Zio they want to shave it.. sandpaper. I tell them no. And they say yes.. and I say no. LOL! and it is fine. Last time they sent it to my house and I put it on myself. But the Zio seems to work Ok for me as long as they don't do extra shenanigans to get it to stick. not sure about yours though. You could try it- see what happens and if you even start having a reaction as your card for a different monitor.

Thanks to all for your help.

Not sure what a Zio is, but the Tagaderm seems like an option if the Cavilon skin barrier doesn't work, which should be in later today at the pharmacy where we ordered it.

Will keep in mind that the electrodes with the gel need to be able to be in contact with the skin or they won't work, per Carey. Will try to figure out how to do this by not putting the Cavilon skin barrier where the electrodes are.

Quote
Nancy M
Not sure what a Zio is

It is an 2"x5" ECG patch to be worn for 14 days at a time probably very similar to the BodyGuardian ECG.

Well, we picked up the Cavilon barrier film wipes from the pharmacy to use under my Body Guardian event monitor, and it seems to be a success. It took us about an hour to figure out how to measure where the electrodes were on the mini adhesive patch that the monitor slides into, then cut out some masking tape the size of the electrodes, put that on my chest the correct distance apart, put more tape to outline where the patch footprint would go, then wipe on the Cavilon, let it dry, then finally put on the adhesive patch and monitor. The monitor seemed unsupported and so we put a piece of foam under it, and that helped keep it from rocking too much on my chest. When we turned the monitor on, it worked just fine!! I like the fact that it can be placed in the middle of the chest vertically so that it does not interfere with my side sleeping. I put it on at 5PM last night, and now it's 11AM the next day, and so far I've had no itching or redness from the mini adhesive patch, thanks to the Cavilon barrier film.

But what I hate about the Body Guardian is the huge heavy cell phone that I now have to wear clipped to my pocket or pants for the next 28 days. It has to stay within 10 feet of the monitor that's on me, which is a nuisance. Our home monitor device, the Wellue, has a strap that goes around the chest that contains the monitor, and there is no cell phone needed with it, which is wonderful. It monitors for 24 hours, then needs to be downloaded onto our computer, which only takes a few minutes, then I can put it back on for another 24 hours of monitoring. The chest strap has no adhesive as the strap holds the monitor in place, which seems a much better solution to me.