Continuous ECG monitors maintained by trained specialists can detect significant arrhythmias with more accuracy than AI-powered mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) monitors, according to new findings presented at Heart Rhythm 2021.
The authors enrolled 46 patients from an outpatient arrhythmia clinic, asking each one to simultaneously wear a long-term continuous ECG monitor and an MCT monitor. A team of two electrophysiologists was brought in to determine whether key arrhythmias were properly identified and diagnosed.
Overall, the team found, the ECG monitors diagnosed more significant arrhythmias than the MCT monitors (50% vs 24%). The ECG monitors also detected key findings missed by the MCT monitor in 12 different patients, including four cases of atrial fibrillation.
“Because every cardiac monitor employs different reporting methods to process recorded rhythms, it can be challenging for the physicians receiving and interpreting the final report,” lead author Mark Willcox, MD, a specialist with the Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute, said in a statement. “Our study set out to better understand the accuracy between two common options. We found technology, paired with key human oversight and input, proved to be the most accurate in detecting critical arrhythmias and, ultimately, helping to improve patient outcomes.”
More information on Heart Rhythm 2021, the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, is available here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.