Comparative study on the quality of electrocardiogram and arrhythmia detection using wireless ambulatory Vigo SmartHeart Holter and conventional Holter

Background: Wireless Holter monitors can be a great alternative to the traditional wired holter monitoring potentially giving better patient outcomes. However, the technology is new and less explored for the quality of ECG wave forms. Objective: This study was taken up to compare the quality of electrocardiogram (ECG) and arrhythmia detection using a traditional Holter and a wireless ambulatory smart ECG – Vigo SmartHeart (VSH) that functions with a Mobile application. Materials and Methods: The present study was cross-sectional in nature. We enrolled the patients indicated for continuous ECG monitoring. All the enrolled patients were connected to VSH wireless Holter solution and a conventional Holter monitor simultaneously. The ECGs generated were compared through descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and correlation by Pearson’s correlation method. Results: Seventy-one patients had simultaneous ECG recordings by both systems. The Pearson correlation for P wave, QRS, PR, QT, and ST was measured as 0.93, 0.93, 0.99, 0.36, and 0.98, respectively. The minimum heart rate (HR), maximum HR, RR interval, P wave, QRS complex, PR, and ST segments showed a statistically significant correlation between Smart Heart and Conventional Holter. 17 ECG events were reported, of which 14 were detected by both. The events missed by conventional Holter and detected by VSH were Atrioventricular block (2), Supraventricular tachycardia (1), and Intraventricular conduction delay (1). Conclusions: The quality of the report generated by both the methods was comparable to ECG wave quality, However, arrhythmia was picked up by the SmartHeart with better precision compared to conventional Holter. Thus, VSH can serve as a viable and potential alternative tool to screen and help in reducing the morbidity and mortality related to arrhythmias.