The photoplethysmography dictionary: practical guidance on signal interpretation and clinical scenarios from TeleCheck-AF
Rachel M J van der Velden, D V M Verhaert, Astrid N L Hermans, David Duncker, Martin Manninger, Konstanze Betz, Monika Gawałko, Lien Desteghe, Ron Pisters, Martin E W Hemels, Laurent Pison, Afzal Sohaib, Arian Sultan, Daniel Steven, Petra Wijtvliet, Dhiraj Gupta, Emma Svennberg, Justin C L M Luermans, Marisevi Chaldoupi, Kevin Vernooy, Dennis W. den Uijl, Piotr Lodziński, Ward P.J. Jansen, Jens Eckstein, Andreas Bollmann, Pieter M. Vandervoort, Harry J.G.M. Crijns, Robert G Tieleman, Hein Heidbüchel, Nikki A H A Pluymaekers, Jeroen Hendriks, Dominik Linz, TeleCheck-AF Investigators
Abstract
Aims: Within the TeleCheck-AF project, numerous centres in Europe used on-demand photoplethysmography (PPG) technology to remotely assess heart rate and rhythm in conjunction with teleconsultations. Based on the TeleCheck-AF investigator experiences, we aimed to develop an educational structured stepwise practical guide on how to interpret PPG signals and to introduce typical clinical scenarios how on-demand PPG was used. Methods and results: ) and number of patients managed within a clinical scenario during the TeleCheck-AF project. To interpret PPG recordings, we introduce a structured stepwise practical guide and provide representative PPG recordings. In the TeleCheck-AF project, 2522 subjects collected 90 616 recordings in total. The majority of these recordings were classified by the PPG algorithm as sinus rhythm (57.6%), followed by AF (23.6%). In 9.7% of recordings, the quality was too low to interpret. The most frequent clinical scenarios where PPG technology was used in the TeleCheck-AF project was a follow-up after AF ablation (1110 patients) followed by heart rate and rhythm assessment around (tele)consultation (966 patients). Conclusion: We introduce a newly developed structured stepwise practical guide on PPG signal interpretation developed based on presented experiences from TeleCheck-AF. The present clinical scenarios for the use of on-demand PPG technology derived from the TeleCheck-AF project will help to implement PPG technology in the management of AF patients.