Comparison between a fitness tracker (Equimetre(TM)) and standard base-apex electrocardiography in dromedary camels

BACKGROUND: Personalized healthcare technology has grown explosively through the use of portable and smart monitoring devices for diagnosis. The objective of this study was to determine the practicality and usability of the Equimetre(TM) fitness tracker on camels in comparison to the standard base-apex system in normal and clinical cases. METHODS: Five apparently healthy adult camels, five clinical adult cases and two clinical calves were enrolled in this study. The camels were equipped with two monitoring systems: Equimetre(TM) and a standard base-apex electrocardiogarphy. Each tracing was evaluated for the normal ECG variable's measure, including heart rate beats per min, P-R, QRS, R-R, Q-T, S-T intervals, and P-R and S-T segments in seconds. The amplitudes for P, Q, R, S, and T-peaks were evaluated in millivolts. RESULTS: Equimetre(TM) showed stability on ECG tracing with less movement artifacts compared with the standard base-apex system. Different polarities were observed for the P-waves and T-waves between the standard base-apex system and Equimetre(TM). Both devices showed perfect agreement for heart rate (ICC = 1.00, P ≥ 0.0001, 95% = 1.00–1.00) in healthy and clinical adults. A good correlation was observed for the R-R interval between the devices in healthy and clinical adults. A moderate correlation was observed between the devices for Q-peak in clinical adults, with no correlation in clinical calves. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated acceptable ECG measurements between the standard base-apex and Equimetre(TM) device. This suggests that Equimetre(TM) could be a useful device in camels for initial electrocardiographic examinations in remote areas such as deserts.