Abstract Background 12-lead ECG is a critical component of initial evaluation of cardiac ischemia, but has traditionally been limited to large, dedicated equipment in medical care environments. ...Smartphones provide a potential alternative platform for the extension of ECG to new care settings and to improve timeliness of care. Objective To gain experience with smartphone electrocardiography prior to designing a larger multicenter study evaluating standard 12-lead ECG compared to smartphone ECG. Methods 6 patients for whom the hospital STEMI protocol was activated were evaluated with traditional 12-lead ECG followed immediately by a smartphone ECG using right (VnR) and left (VnL) limb leads for precordial grounding. The AliveCor™ Heart Monitor was utilized for this study. All tracings were taken prior to catheterization or immediately after revascularization while still in the catheterization laboratory. Results The smartphone ECG had excellent correlation with the gold standard 12-lead ECG in all patients. Four out of six tracings were judged to meet STEMI criteria on both modalities as determined by three experienced cardiologists, and in the remaining two, consensus indicated a non-STEMI ECG diagnosis. No significant difference was noted between VnR and VnL. Conclusions Smartphone based electrocardiography is a promising, developing technology intended to increase availability and speed of electrocardiographic evaluation. This study confirmed the potential of a smartphone ECG for evaluation of acute ischemia and the feasibility of studying this technology further to define the diagnostic accuracy, limitations and appropriate use of this new technology.
AbstractIn patients experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), rapid diagnosis and immediate access to reperfusion therapy leads to optimal clinical outcomes. The rate-limiting step ...in STEMI diagnosis is the availability and performance of a 12–lead ECG. Recent technology has provided access to a reliable means of obtaining an ECG reading through a smartphone application (app) that works with an attachment providing all 12–leads of a standard ECG system. The ST LEUIS study was designed to validate the smartphone ECG app and its ability to accurately assess the presence or absence of STEMI in patients presenting with chest pain compared with the gold standard 12–lead ECG. We aimed to support the diagnostic utility of smartphone technology to provide a timely diagnosis and treatment of STEMI. The study will take place over 12 months at five institutions. Approximately 60 patients will be enrolled per institution, for a total recruitment of 300 patients.
Objectives The objective of this study was to compare the consistency in appropriate use criteria (AUC) ratings among a broad range of practicing cardiologists and the AUC Technical Panel. Background ...AUC for coronary revascularization have been developed by selected experts. Methods Before AUC publication, 85 cardiologists from 10 U.S. institutions assessed the appropriateness of coronary revascularization for 68 indications that had been evaluated by the AUC Technical Panel. Each indication was classified as appropriate, uncertain, or inappropriate, based on the physician group's median rating. Rates of concordance between the physician group and the AUC Technical Panel (i.e., same appropriateness category assignment) and rates of nonagreement within the physician group (≥25% of panelists' ratings outside the group's appropriateness category assessment) were determined. Results Overall concordance between the 2 groups was 84%. Among indications classified as appropriate by the AUC Technical Panel, concordance between the 2 groups was excellent (94% 34 of 36); however, nonagreement within the physician group was 44% (16 of 36). Among indications classified as uncertain, there was 73% (16 of 22) concordance between the 2 groups. Among inappropriate indications, concordance was moderate (70% 7 of 10), but nonagreement occurred frequently (70% 7 of 10). Moreover, there was substantial variation in appropriateness ratings between individual physicians and the AUC Technical Panel (weighted kappa range: 0.05 to 0.76). Conclusions Although there was good concordance in assessments of appropriateness for coronary revascularization between physicians and the AUC Technical Panel, nonagreement within the physician group was common and there was marked variation in ratings between individual physicians and the AUC Technical Panel.
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