Key result
Coala Heart Monitor detects AF with high sensitivity and specificity using chest and thumb ECGs.
Why the study?
Several handheld thumb ECG devices for on-demand heart rhythm recording have become available, prompting an overview of the Coala Heart Monitor profile and its diagnostic features.
The Coala Heart Monitor's unique combination of chest and thumb ECG recordings with phonocardiogram capabilities may offer diagnostic advantages for atrial fibrillation detection.
May support multi-lead ECG screening for AF in select settings; hypothesis-generating pending randomized outcome trials.
Introduction: Several handheld thumb ECG devices for on-demand recording of heart rhythm have become available lately. These can be used both by health-care providers and purchased by laypersons for private use.Area covered: This profile describes the Coala Heart Monitor. This device differs from other handheld ECG monitors in three aspects: 1) it records both thumb and chest ECGs, 2) it uses both RR-dispersion and P-wave morphology for detecting atrial fibrillation, and 3) in synchronization with the chest ECG, it also records heart sounds presented as a phonocardiogram making measurement of systolic time intervals possible. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting atrial fibrillation are high. The use of systolic time interval in patients with heart failure has so far not been evaluated.Expert opinion: The increasing use of long-term prescribed and privately owned handheld ECG devices for on-demand recording of heart rhythm will most probably cause a paradigm shift in arrhythmia diagnostics. Coala Heart Monitor´s use of both chest and thumb recordings as well as analyzing both RR-dispersion and P-wave morphology may offer an advantage in diagnosing atrial fibrillation.
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Insulander et al. (2020) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation. Coala Heart Monitor was evaluated. The Coala Heart Monitor provides high sensitivity and specificity for detecting atrial fibrillation by utilizing both chest and thumb ECG recordings alongside RR-dispersion and P-wave morphology.
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