Feasibility and accuracy of a new mobile electrocardiography device, ER-2000®, in the diagnosis of arrhythmia

Abstract

Background We performed this study to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a new mobile electrocardiography (ECG) device, ER-2000®, in detecting cardiac arrhythmia, by comparing it to a 12-lead ECG used as the gold standard. Methods Mode 1 of ER-2000® was recorded using three electrodes with cables attached to the anterior chest wall, and mode 2 was recorded using the side chest channel and finger channel. Standard 12-lead ECG was used to record with a speed of 25 mm/s, simultaneously. Results Seventeen patients with complaints of palpitation were enrolled. Twelve-lead ECG revealed normal sinus rhythm in three patients, sinus tachycardia in one, atrial fibrillation (AF) in two, atrial tachycardia (AT) in one, first degree atrioventricular block in one, pacing rhythm in two patients who underwent permanent pacemaker implantation, AF with intermittent ventricular pacing in one, complete right bundle branch block in one, J-wave elevation in one, narrow QRS tachycardia in one, atrial premature beat (APB) in one, ventricular premature beat (VPB) in one, and narrow QRS tachycardia with intermittent aberrant conduction in one. Rhythm diagnosis obtained by the two different modes of ER-2000® was correlated with that obtained by the 12-lead ECG in all patients except in one in whom ER-2000® showed one APB while 12-lead ECG showed sinus rhythm. R-R interval was accurately recorded despite the detailed morphology of QRS, and T-wave was somewhat modified with the use of ER-2000®. A pacing blip detected by 12-lead ECG was not detected by ER-2000® despite a similar wide QRS duration in the paced QRS. Conclusions A rhythm strip obtained using ER-2000® is accurate in diagnosing arrhythmia, despite some differences in the detailed morphology of the QRS and T-wave, and the pacing spike compared to those obtained by the 12-lead ECG.