title: Combined use of morphology discrimination, sudden onset, and stability as discriminating algorithms in single chamber cardioverter defibrillators.
abstract: Morphology Discrimination (MD) is a rhythm discriminator based on QRS morphology analysis that can be combined with other discriminators like Stability, with or without Sinus Interval History (SIH) and Sudden Onset. Thirty-five patients implanted with a St. Jude Medical single chamber ICD were evaluated during exercise testing, during induced AF, and during follow-up for 14 +/- 5 months. At exercise testing (60 episodes detected) MD had a specificity (SP) of 96.7% and Sudden Onset a SP of 91.7%; during induced AF (25 episodes) both MD and Stability had a SP of 96.0%. The diagnostic performance on spontaneous arrhythmias was as follows: for ventricular tachycardia (126 episodes) a sensitivity (SE) of 94.4% for MD, 92.1% for Sudden Onset, 89.7% for Stability without SIH and 79.4% for Stability + SIH; for sinus tachycardia (44 episodes) a SP of 86.4% for MD, 97.7% for Sudden Onset, 2.3% for Stability and of 95.5% for Stability + SIH. For AF (165 cases) a SP of 67.9% for MD, 69.1% for Stability and 90.3% for Stability + SIH, 44.8% for Sudden Onset. Use of MD alone provided a SE of 94.4% and a SP of 71.4% for spontaneous arrhythmias and combined use of the discriminators in a "2 of 3" diagnostic logic implied a SP of 90.9% with maintenance of 96.0% of SE. In single chamber ICDs a wide range of SE/SP ratios may be obtained by use of multiple discriminators, but use of the algorithm in a 2 of 3 diagnostic logic may achieve a SP of 90.9% and a SE of 96.0%.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology, University of Bologna, Italy. cardio1@almadns.unibo.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boriani
authors.forename: Eraldo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Occhetta
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pistis
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menozzi
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jorfida
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sermasi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gasparini
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Musso
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dall'acqua
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biffi
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branzi
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004867:Equipment Design; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013997:Time Factors