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Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in a community based chiropractic practice
Suzanne Padhi1, Nasreen Patel2, Darcy Driscoll3
1private practice, Toronto, Canada. suzannepadhi@hotmail.com.
Insights
Screening chiropractic patients for cardiac arrhythmias is feasible. A brief ECG can identify previously undiagnosed arrhythmias, aiding patient management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Chiropractic Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- The prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias among chiropractic patients is unknown but suspected to be rising.
- Arrhythmias can impact the management of chiropractic care.
- Screening for arrhythmias in chiropractic settings is a novel area of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of screening for cardiac arrhythmias within a chiropractic clinic setting.
- To determine if chiropractic patients are a suitable population for cardiac arrhythmia screening.
Main Methods:
- A convenience sample of patients from a single chiropractic clinic was recruited.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) data were collected and analyzed to detect arrhythmias.
- A 3-minute resting ECG recording was utilized.
Main Results:
- Seventy-six out of ninety contacted patients participated (84.4% participation rate).
- Among patients with known cardiovascular issues, 8 (25.8%) had arrhythmias.
- Among patients unaware of arrhythmias, 7 (15.6%) were found to have them.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac arrhythmia screening is feasible in community-based chiropractic clinics.
- A 3-minute resting ECG is not highly sensitive for detecting previously diagnosed arrhythmias.
- This screening method can identify previously undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmias in chiropractic patients.
Introduction:
The prevalence of arrhythmias in chiropractic practice (the proportion of current patients who currently have arrhythmias) is unknown, but thought to be increasing. As arrhythmias influence management of chiropractic patients, the objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of screening for cardiac arrhythmias in a chiropractic clinic.
Methods:
With a convenience sample from one clinic, ECG data were recorded and analyzed to identify arrhythmias.
Results:
Seventy-six of ninety contacted patients participated in this study. Only 8 (∼26%) of 31 patients with known or suspected cardiovascular abnormalities demonstrated arrhythmias versus 7 (∼16%) of 45 subjects who were not previously aware of having an arrhythmia.
Conclusion:
The screening of patients for cardiac arrhythmias in a community based chiropractic clinic is feasible. A 3-minute recording of ECG activity at rest is not a highly sensitive method of identifying patients with previously recognized arrhythmias, but is capable of identifying previously undiagnosed arrhythmias.
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