Key result
Wearable and handheld ECG devices improve detection of paroxysmal arrhythmias over conventional short-term monitoring.
Why the study?
Standard 12-lead ECG is restricted to clinic settings and provides only a snapshot of electrical activity, limiting its utility for diagnosing short-lasting and infrequent paroxysmal arrhythmias.
Wearable and handheld smart devices with ECG recording features empower patients to record their ECG during symptoms, expanding the paradigm of cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis beyond traditional 12-lead ECG.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support symptom-driven arrhythmia detection in select patients; leaves open need for prospective trials to define optimal integration and confirmatory testing.
Twelve-lead electrocardiography (ECG) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias. It provides a snapshot of the cardiac electrical activity while the leads are attached to the patient. As medical training is required to use the ECG machine, its use remains restricted to the clinic and hospital settings. These aspects limit the usefulness of 12-lead ECG in the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias, especially in individuals with short-lasting and infrequent paroxysmal symptoms. The introduction of ECG recording features in wearable and handheld smart devices has changed the paradigm of cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis, empowering patients to record their ECG as and when symptoms occur. This review describes contemporary ambulatory heart rhythm monitors commonly available in Singapore and their expanding role in the diagnosis of cardiac rhythm abnormalities.
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Chia et al. (2023) conducted a review in Cardiac arrhythmias. Wearable and handheld ambulatory ECG monitoring devices vs. 12-lead ECG and conventional Holter monitors was evaluated. Contemporary wearable and handheld ECG devices improve the diagnosis of paroxysmal cardiac arrhythmias, bridging the diagnostic gap between conventional Holter monitors and implantable loop recorders.
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