Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone electrocardiogram recorder compared to standard 12 lead electrocardiography in hospital settings

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate Smartphone-based Electrocardiogram Recorders (S-ECG-R) diagnostic accuracy compared to standard 12 lead ECG. METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in a tertiary cardiac center in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 2017 to February 2018. A total of 403 patients underwent both standard 12 leads ECG and S-ECG-R recordings in the same time. All recordings were checked initially by an electrophysiologist to confirm the accurate diagnosis. Then, the 806 recordings were randomly distributed among 6 certified cardiologists to interpret the rhythms and to evaluate rhythms quality. RESULTS: In this study 211 (52%) males and 192 (48%) females were included, with a mean age of 52±18 years. Of the included rhythms,149 (37%) were abnormal. The majority of which were atrial fibrillation 46 (11%), sinus tachycardia 35 (9%)and premature ventricular contractions 33 (8%). Analysis revealed an overall similar diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of S-ECG-R to the standard 12 lead ECG recording, sensitivity (97.3% versus (vs) 98%) and specificity (99.6% vs. 99.6%). However, cardiologists were more confident during interpreting standard ECG recordings in 91% of the recordings while in 71% of S-ECG-R recordings. CONCLUSION: The ECG rhythms produced by smartphone accessory have a good diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing arrhythmias. The utility of using S-ECG-R for out-patient is to be determined.