Handheld Technologies May Lead to Better Detection of Atrial Fibrillation

Approximately 10% of people 70 years of age have atrial fibrillation, and the incidence dramatically increases with age. At least one third of these experience no symptoms. The condition confers a 4- to 5-fold higher risk of ischemic stroke, and in 10% of all ischemic strokes, atrial fibrillation is first detected at the time of stroke. Despite these sobering statistics, research is revealing that individuals may already own a device that can alert them of their hidden arrhythmia.“Stroke is not a good early warning sign of atrial fibrillation,” said Ben Freedman, MBBS, PhD, a professor of cardiology at Concord Hospital and a deputy director of the Heart Research Institute, Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney in Australia. “Strokes related to atrial fibrillation are preventable by anticoagulants, so it makes sense to look for the arrhythmia in asymptomatic people as a strategy to prevent stroke.”Investigators are actively testing whether recent technologies such as smartphones and similar devices might be harnessed to detect which individuals may have atrial fibrillation and should undergo an ECG to obtain a definitive diagnosis. The need is great: Atrial fibrillation is a global healthcare problem that …