Prevalence of unknown and untreated arrhythmias in an older outpatient population screened by wireless long-term recording ECG

Abstract

Purpose

With longer life expectancies, the prevalence of arrhythmias is increasing; thus, there is a need for new methods to screen the older outpatient population. This population-based study describes the prevalence of arrhythmias in 200 outpatients aged ≥66 years. We also investigated the feasibility of wireless long-term recording (LTR) using the ECG-BodyKom^®.

Methods

Two hundred elderly persons aged 66–93 years were recruited from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in 2010–2013, and data were collected via wireless LTR ECG-BodyKom.

Results

Screening with the LTR ECG revealed that persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) occurred in 10% of the outpatient population aged ≥66 years. Paroxysmal AF occurred in 5.5% of the population, with no difference between younger (60–80 years) and older (>80 years) elderly participants. Furthermore, all patients with paroxysmal AF had a CHA₂DS₂VASc score of ≥2 and were therefore potential candidates for follow-up and medical examination. LTR ECG-BodyKom can be considered a feasible method to screen for arrhythmias in older outpatient populations. This simple method requires little of the user, and there was high satisfaction with the equipment and a good overall experience wearing it.

Conclusion

The increasing occurrence of arrhythmias in the older population, as well as the high number of untreated cases of arrhythmias such as persistent AF and paroxysmal AF, poses a challenge for health care. Therefore, it is essential to develop effective strategies for their prevention and treatment.

Keywords:

• arrhythmia
• older people
• prevalence
• wireless long-term ECG

View correction statement:

Prevalence of unknown and untreated arrhythmias in an older outpatient population screened by wireless long-term recording ECG [Corrigendum]

Acknowledgments

This project SNAC-B was part of the Swedish National study on Aging and Care (SNAC, www.snac.org), and it was financially supported by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. We are grateful to the participants and the participating country and municipalities. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Disclosure

Johan Sanmartin Berglund is a board member of Kiwok Nordic AB. The authors declare no other potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.