Screening of unknown atrial fibrillation through handheld device in the elderly.
Francesco Rivezzi, Riccardo Vio, Claudio Bilato, Leopoldo Pagliani, Giampaolo Pasquetto, Salvatore Saccà, Roberto Verlato, Federico Migliore, Sabino Iliceto, Vito Bossone, Emanuele Bertaglia
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of unknown atrial fibrillation (AF) in the elderly population of the Veneto Region, Italy. METHODS: 1820 patients aged ≥ 65 years with no history of AF and not anticoagulated were enrolled in primary-care settings. They underwent an opportunistic electrocardiogram screening with a handheld device (MyDiagnostick) designed to specifically detect AF. The electrocardiogram recordings were reviewed by the researchers, who confirmed the presence of AF. RESULTS: < 0.0001). At multivariate analysis, congestive heart failure and age ≥ 75 years-old were independent predictors for screen-detected AF. CONCLUSIONS: -VASc score.