Mobile Single-Lead Electrocardiogram Technology for Atrial Fibrillation Detection in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• AliveCor KardiaMobile (KM) is a portable electrocardiography device for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF).
• Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients are at increased risk for AF, necessitating effective monitoring strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a suitable group of AIS patients for using the KM device.
• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the KM device in detecting AF within this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of AIS patients for a three-day monitoring period using the KM device.
• On-demand recording of 30-second single-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) via the KM device.
• Cardiologist verification of all KM ECG records and assessment of feasibility using operationalization criteria.

Main Results:

• A recruitment rate of 26.3% and withdrawal rates of 26% (pre-intervention) and 6% (post-intervention) were observed.
• The KM device detected AF in 2.8% of AIS patients and 2.2% of ECG records, with cardiologist confirmation in 0.3% of patients.
• The KM device achieved 100% sensitivity and 98.3% specificity for AF detection.

Conclusions:

• The KM device is feasible for AF detection in selected AIS patients, particularly those who are younger and in better neurological condition.
• The study highlights the high diagnostic accuracy of the KM device for AF in this specific patient cohort.