A mobile rhythm patch detects atrial fibrillation in high-risk patients ten times more frequently than conventional diagnostics. That is the finding of a new transatlantic study involving researchers from Canada and Germany. The mobile procedure could thus be suitable for the early detection of atrial fibrillation and thus prevent strokes.
The multicenter, randomized trial, called SCREEN-AF, studied a rhythm patch that records every heartbeat and can detect silent atrial fibrillation. The study involved 856 people from 48 family medicine practices from 2015 to 2019. Participants were 75 years or older and had high blood pressure but no known atrial fibrillation. Often, atrial fibrillation does not cause any symptoms and is therefore difficult to detect. “We hope that if we can better detect silent atrial fibrillation, more people could be treated early and strokes could be prevented,” says Canadian study leader Dr. David Gladstone of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. The study was coordinated at the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Canada.
Half of the study participants received the rhythm patch, which was applied to the chest twice for two weeks each. The other half received standard medical care. An ECG recording unit is integrated into the rhythm patch, which continuously records the heartbeat for two weeks. The patch was removed after two weeks and sent for evaluation. All participants were followed for six months.
Blood thinners may protect against strokes
The study found that the rhythm patch was well tolerated by participants and atrial fibrillation was detected ten times more frequently. In the rhythm patch group, atrial fibrillation was detected in 23 participants, compared with only 2 in the control group. Of the atrial fibrillation patients, 75 percent were receiving a blood-thinning medication to protect against strokes. “The atrial fibrillation episodes we found were usually several hours long. Blood thinners are generally very effective medications in atrial fibrillation patients and can reduce the risk of stroke by nearly 70 percent. However, for the patients we identified, the best possible therapy has not yet been sufficiently investigated,” says co-study leader Prof. Dr. Rolf Wachter* from the Heart Center of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen site.
Original publication:
JAMA Cardiol. Published online February 24, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2021.0038
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2776728
