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Does Familiarity with Technology Predict Successful Use of an External Loop Recorder? The Loop Recorder Technology Cognition Study (LOCO)
Author(s) -
GULA LORNE J.,
KLEIN GEORGE J.,
ZURAWSKA URSZULA,
MASSEL DAVID,
YEE RAYMOND,
SKANES ALLAN C.,
KRAHN ANDREW D.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2009.02306.x
Subject(s) - medicine , implantable loop recorder , loop (graph theory) , cognition , closed loop , control engineering , psychiatry , atrial fibrillation , mathematics , combinatorics , engineering
Background:The diagnosis of presyncope, syncope, and palpitations is facilitated by successful documentation of the cardiac rhythm during symptoms. We prospectively assessed technological familiarity using a Technology Cognition Questionnaire to determine influence on proper and effective use of an external loop recorder (ELR).Methods:Patients with palpitations, presyncope, or syncope were assessed for familiarity with technology and provided an ELR for a period of 6 weeks. Proper use of the device was demonstrated to the patient and test transmissions were sent by analog telephone line on a weekly basis. Patients were instructed to activate the device to record cardiac rhythm when symptoms recurred, and to send these recordings via telephone transmission.Results:Ninety‐two patients were prospectively enrolled, with mean age 54.9 ± 20.9 and 42 males (46%). Sixty‐five patients (71%) had recurrence of symptoms during the 6‐week monitoring period. Among these patients, 40 (62%) were successful in recording and transmitting data such that a diagnosis was made at a median of 8 days (IQR 12.5, range 0–30). Among patients with symptoms during the monitoring period, 36 (55%) had at least one failed recording or transmission. On multivariate analysis, failed symptom recording/transmission was less likely among patients able to program a home video recorder (odds ratio [OR] 0.25 [0.07–0.93]), and more likely among patients who failed a test transmission (OR 3.45 [1.04–11.7]). No variables were independently associated with successful diagnosis.Conclusions:Familiarity with technology correlates with successful use of the ELR, but does not necessarily correlate with the ability to reach a diagnosis.