2022 Volume 71 Issue 1 Pages 95-100
The event recorder (ER) is a non-invasive long-term ECG recording tool that is equipped with an automatic arrhythmia detector and can be used continuously for 1–2 weeks. It has a greater detection rate for arrhythmic events (AEs) than a 12-lead ECG equipment or 24-hour Holter monitor. In this study, we investigated the reasons for the use and the AE detection rate of ER. We also determined whether changes in medical treatment were made after AE detection. Nearly 80% of the respondents gave causal AE detection as the reason for the use of ER for monitoring symptoms. The AE detection rates were 24.8% in symptomatic patients, 46% in patients with syncope, and 9.7% in asymptomatic patients. The ER is useful for detecting clinically relevant arrhythmia(s) for patients with or without symptoms. The detection rate for the initial AE on the first day of using ER, which is equivalent to 24-hour Holter monitoring, was 37.5%, but it increased to 62.5% when extended up to 7 days; 84.4% of the initial AE was detected within the first three days. On the basis of the collected data, the AE detection rate increased with the time of using ER. However, a higher AE detection rate can be expected in a 3-day monitoring, if longer-term ER is not available. Medical treatment was changed in 59.4% of patients with AE detected by ER. From these data, it is concluded that ER is a useful tool for selecting the appropriate medical treatment on the basis of the actual detection of AE.
