Open AccessDiagnostic value of implantable loop recorders in patients with unexplained syncope or palpitations
Author(s) -
Radovanović Nikola N.,
Pavlović Siniša U.,
Kirćanski Bratislav,
Branković Nemanja,
Vujadinović Nikola,
Sajić Vojislav,
Milašinović Ana,
Bisenić Vesna,
Živković Mirjana,
Milašinović Goran
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annals of noninvasive electrocardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1542-474X
pISSN - 1082-720X
DOI - 10.1111/anec.12864
Subject(s) - palpitations , presyncope , medicine , implantable loop recorder , cardiology , syncope (phonology) , retrospective cohort study , sudden cardiac death , pediatrics , atrial fibrillation , heart rate , blood pressure
Background The implantable loop recorder (ILR) is a small cardiac rhythm‐monitoring device. Our aim was to determine ILR diagnostic value in patients with unexplained syncope, presyncope, or palpitations suggesting cardiac arrhythmias. Methods This has been a retrospective, observational, single‐center study. We included 181 patients in whom ILR was implanted at the Clinical Center of Serbia between January 2006 and July 2019. An event was marked as diagnostic if it led to a diagnosis and ILR was considered diagnostic if it verified or excluded an arrhythmia as the cause of syncope or palpitations. Results The mean age was 51.8 ± 17.8 years and 94 (51.9%) were male. The mean follow‐up period was 20.2 ± 15.8 months. ILR was diagnostic in 98 patients (54.1%). There was no significant difference in diagnostic value of ILR in regard to the baseline patients’ characteristics. The mean time to occurrence of the diagnostic event was 11.1 ± 9.6 months. The time to occurrence of a diagnostic event did not differ significantly between patients who underwent basic as compared to extended diagnostics before ILR implantation. Conclusions ILR was able to achieve an etiological diagnosis in 54.1% of patients with unexplained syncope, presyncope, or palpitations suggesting cardiac arrhythmias. In a subgroup of patients with recurrent palpitations, ILR was significantly less diagnostic than in patients with syncope or presyncope. ILR should be implanted beforehand in syncope evaluation process.