Routine electrocardiograms predict health risks for patients with atrial fibrillation

Medicalxpress: 10/28/12

Canadian scientists have determined that routine electrocardiogram (ECG) results for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF)—the most common form of irregular heart beat—can help doctors identify those at higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including death. This knowledge will help doctors improve the treatment and prognosis of atrial fibrillation.

Through a retrospective analysis of thousands of patient files, researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute and the University of Calgary learned that a routine 12-lead surface ECG—in which 12 different electrical signals are recorded—conducted at the time of AF diagnosis is an accurate predictor of later adverse events. Research presented today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress found that patients with AF do not all face the same risks for disease; determining the extent to which any individual patient is at risk of adverse events has been a challenge for doctors, until now. Read more