Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

OBJECTIVE: New electronic devices offer an opportunity within routine primary care settings for improving the detection of atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a common cardiac arrhythmia and a modifiable risk factor for stroke. We aimed to assess the performance of a modified blood pressure (BP) monitor and two single-lead ECG devices, as diagnostic triage tests for the detection of AF. SETTING: 6 General Practices in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: 1000 ambulatory patients aged 75 years and over. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparative diagnostic accuracy of modified BP monitor and single-lead ECG devices, compared to reference standard of 12-lead ECG, independently interpreted by cardiologists. RESULTS: A total of 79 participants (7.9%) had AF diagnosed by 12-lead ECG. All three devices had a high sensitivity (93.9-98.7%) and are useful for ruling out AF. WatchBP is a better triage test than Omron autoanalysis because it is more specific-89.7% (95% CI 87.5% to 91.6%) compared to 78.3% (95% CI 73.0% to 82.9%), respectively. This would translate into a lower follow-on ECG rate of 17% to rule in/rule out AF compared to 29.7% with the Omron text message in the study population. The overall specificity of single-lead ECGs analysed by a cardiologist was 94.6% for Omron and 90.1% for Merlin. CONCLUSIONS: WatchBP performs better as a triage test for identifying AF in primary care than the single-lead ECG monitors as it does not require expertise for interpretation and its diagnostic performance is comparable to single-lead ECG analysis by cardiologists. It could be used opportunistically to screen elderly patients for undiagnosed AF at regular intervals and/or during BP measurement.

Original publication

DOI

10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004565

Type

Journal article

Journal

BMJ Open

Publication Date

02/05/2014

Volume

4

Keywords

Primary Care, Stroke Medicine, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Atrial Fibrillation, Blood Pressure Determination, Electrocardiography, Female, Humans, Male, Primary Health Care, Reproducibility of Results, Triage