[Value of computer-assisted, digital long-term ECG analysis in clinical routine practice].
At present the Holter method (HM) is a frequently used investigational procedure in the clinical routine. It was the aim of a prospective study to evaluate the HM from the user's point of view. Therefore a questionnaire was attached to each analysis report including two main questions, which should be answered by the referring physician: Does the analysis result fulfill the consumer's needs? What consequences are drawn due to the HM results? Among 675 questionnaires returned to the laboratory 75% of the referring physicians felt satisfied by the HM result. Disappointments were predominantly related to too infrequently occurring episodes, which did not appear during one 24-hour recording period. Evaluation of therapy (89%), recording prior to antiarrhythmic therapy (84%) and quantification of well-known arrhythmias were the most successful indications of HM. The tremendous daily variability of infrequent symptoms or arrhythmias were the main causes for unsatisfactory results. A successful HM led predominantly to therapeutic consequences (begin, continuation, change or withdrawal of anti-arrhythmic drugs). In 25% HM was not followed by further therapeutic or diagnostic consequences, so that the indication for the HM should be reevaluated! Diagnostic consequences included repeated HM, ECG-Telephone-Transmission consequences heart catheterisation or electrophysiological procedures. In summary the Holter method satisfies the physician's demands if the expectations do not exceed the limitations of the method.
Weber
H
H
Kardiologischen Universitätsklinik Wien.
Schmidinger
H
H
Rimpfl
T
T
Norman
G
G
Wolfram
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006327:Heart Block / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007256:Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000175:diagnosis
Wertigkeit der computerassistierten, digitalen Langzeit-EKG-Analyse in der klinischen Routine.