Seven-day Holter ECG monitoring newly detected atrial fibrillation in 8.8% of unselected patients, leading to oral anticoagulation initiation in 95.2% of those diagnosed.
Cohort (n=476)
Does prolonged 7-day Holter ECG monitoring improve the detection of unknown atrial fibrillation in an unselected patient cohort?
Prolonged 7-day ECG monitoring in an unselected cohort yields an 8.8% detection rate of new atrial fibrillation, leading to high rates of oral anticoagulation initiation.
Objectives Prolonged ECG monitoring is clinically useful to detect unknown atrial fibrillation (AF) in stroke survivors. The diagnostic yield of prolonged ECG monitoring in other patient populations is less well characterised. We therefore studied the diagnostic yield of prolonged Holter ECG monitoring for AF in an unselected patient cohort referred from primary care or seen in a teaching hospital. Methods We analysed consecutive 7-day ECG recordings in unselected patients referred from different medical specialities and assessed AF detection rates by indication, age and comorbidities. Results Seven-day Holter ECGs (median monitoring 127.5 hours, IQR 116 to 152) were recorded in 476 patients (mean age 54.6 (SD 17.0) years, 55.9% female) without previously known AF, requested to evaluate palpitations (n=241), syncope (n=99), stroke or transient ischaemic attack (n=75), dizziness (n=29) or episodic chest pain (n=32). AF was newly detected in 42/476 (8.8%) patients. Oral anticoagulation was initiated in 40/42 (95.2%) patients with newly detected AF. Multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex and monitoring duration found four clinical parameters to be associated with newly detected AF: hypertension OR=2.54, (1.08 to 8.61) (adjusted OR (95% CI)), p=0.034; previous stroke or TIA OR=4.14 (1.81 to 13.01), p=0.001; left-sided valvular heart disease OR=5.07 (2.48 to 18.70), p<0.001 and palpitations OR=2.86, (1.33 to 10.44), p=0.015. Conclusions Open multispeciality access to prolonged ECG monitoring, for example, as part of integrated, cross-sector AF care, can accelerate diagnosis of AF and increase adequate use of oral anticoagulation, especially in older and symptomatic patients with comorbidities.
Jawad‐Ul‐Qamar et al. (Fri,) conducted a cohort in Unknown atrial fibrillation (n=476). 7-day Holter ECG monitoring was evaluated on Newly detected atrial fibrillation. Seven-day Holter ECG monitoring newly detected atrial fibrillation in 8.8% of unselected patients, leading to oral anticoagulation initiation in 95.2% of those diagnosed.