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Screening for Atrial Fibrillation using Economical and accurate TechnologY (SAFETY)—a pilot study

Screening for Atrial Fibrillation using Economical and accurate TechnologY (SAFETY)—a pilot study
Screening for Atrial Fibrillation using Economical and accurate TechnologY (SAFETY)—a pilot study
Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cause of stroke and a marker of atherosclerosis and of all patients with stroke, around 17% have AF. The screening and treatment of AF could prevent about 12% of all strokes. Several relatively low-cost devices with good accuracy now exist which can detect AF including WatchBP and AliveCor. However, they can only measure the ECG or pulse over short time periods. Inexpensive devices such as heart rate monitors, which are widely available, can measure heart rate for prolonged periods and may have potential in screening for AF. This study aims to determine the accuracy of AliveCor and WatchBP along with a bespoke algorithm using a heart rate monitor belt (Polar H7) and a wearable RR interval recorder (Firstbeat Bodyguard 2) for detecting AF during a single screening visit in primary care patients. Methods/analysis: A multicentre case–control diagnostic study comparing the four different devices for the detection of AF with a reference standard consisting of a 12-lead ECG in GP surgeries across Hampshire, UK. We aim to recruit 92 participants with AF and 329 without AF aged 65 years and over. We will ask participants to rate comfort and overall impression for each device. We will collect qualitative data from participants capturing their experience of using wearable devices in order to evaluate acceptability. We will collect data from GPs to determine their views on AF screening. Ethics and dissemination: This protocol was approved by the London—City & East Research Ethics Committee in June 2016. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conference presentations and the Atrial Fibrillation Association, UK.
2044-6055
e013535
Lown, Mark
4742d5f8-bcf3-4e0b-811c-920e7d010c9b
Yue, Arthur
6bab01eb-b37c-4722-8e89-fa347e895e38
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Moore, Mike
45d62b96-78ad-4485-83a5-709c4289f532
Lown, Mark
4742d5f8-bcf3-4e0b-811c-920e7d010c9b
Yue, Arthur
6bab01eb-b37c-4722-8e89-fa347e895e38
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Moore, Mike
45d62b96-78ad-4485-83a5-709c4289f532

Lown, Mark, Yue, Arthur, Lewith, George, Little, Paul and Moore, Mike (2017) Screening for Atrial Fibrillation using Economical and accurate TechnologY (SAFETY)—a pilot study. BMJ Open, 7 (1), e013535. (doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013535).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cause of stroke and a marker of atherosclerosis and of all patients with stroke, around 17% have AF. The screening and treatment of AF could prevent about 12% of all strokes. Several relatively low-cost devices with good accuracy now exist which can detect AF including WatchBP and AliveCor. However, they can only measure the ECG or pulse over short time periods. Inexpensive devices such as heart rate monitors, which are widely available, can measure heart rate for prolonged periods and may have potential in screening for AF. This study aims to determine the accuracy of AliveCor and WatchBP along with a bespoke algorithm using a heart rate monitor belt (Polar H7) and a wearable RR interval recorder (Firstbeat Bodyguard 2) for detecting AF during a single screening visit in primary care patients. Methods/analysis: A multicentre case–control diagnostic study comparing the four different devices for the detection of AF with a reference standard consisting of a 12-lead ECG in GP surgeries across Hampshire, UK. We aim to recruit 92 participants with AF and 329 without AF aged 65 years and over. We will ask participants to rate comfort and overall impression for each device. We will collect qualitative data from participants capturing their experience of using wearable devices in order to evaluate acceptability. We will collect data from GPs to determine their views on AF screening. Ethics and dissemination: This protocol was approved by the London—City & East Research Ethics Committee in June 2016. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conference presentations and the Atrial Fibrillation Association, UK.

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Accepted/In Press date: 14 December 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 January 2017
Published date: January 2017
Organisations: Community Clinical Sciences, Primary Care & Population Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 408400
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/408400
ISSN: 2044-6055
PURE UUID: 68532a7e-7f29-4b49-9fe7-4a3ae0328df2
ORCID for Mark Lown: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8309-568X
ORCID for Paul Little: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3664-1873

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Date deposited: 20 May 2017 04:02
Last modified: 12 Jul 2024 01:52

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Contributors

Author: Mark Lown ORCID iD
Author: Arthur Yue
Author: George Lewith
Author: Paul Little ORCID iD
Author: Mike Moore

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