Effects of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram.
In conclusion, atrial flutter can create significant errors in the automated time-domain analysis of the SAECG that are only apparent when the study is repeated in sinus rhythm, thus lowering the predictive accuracy of the technique in patients with atrial flutter. Atrial fibrillation rarely creates problems with time-domain analysis of the SAECG. These findings suggest that, unless the performance of a specific signal-averaging device has been evaluated in patients with atrial flutter and found to have acceptable error rates, patients with atrial flutter should not have SAECGs performed for postinfarction risk assessment.
Fitzgerald
D M
DM
Department of Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1046, USA.
Hawthorne
H R
HR
Crossley
G H
GH
Simmons
T W
TW
Haisty
W K
WK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted