Diagnosis of Irregular Heartbeats by Auscultation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

抄録

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an absolute arrhythmia characterized by irregular heartbeats. Electrocardiographic findings help make a definitive diagnosis of AF. On specific health checkups, electrocardiography may be indicated for persons with hypertension or those in whom arrhythmia is suspected based on an inquiry. Recently, medical specialist systems have been widely applied. Among patients diagnosed with AF in Ningen Dock (comprehensive health checkup), we analyzed patients with hypertension, with irregular heartbeats on auscultation, and diagnosed by medical specialists and clarified the significance of auscultation.

Methods: In 514 patients diagnosed with AF based on electrocardiography findings during Ningen Dock for nine years, we examined the auscultation findings obtained by 25 physicians.

Results: Of these patients, 92 (17.9%) had hypertension, and auscultation revealed irregular heartbeats in 400 patients (77.8%). The proportion of patients diagnosed with irregular heartbeats by three cardiology specialists was 92.9%. The proportion of patients diagnosed with irregular heartbeats by eight Ningen Dock specialists was 90.4%, almost equal to cardiology specialists’ data. The data were significantly higher than those of non-specialists (p<0.001). On the other hand, five physicians who were non-Ningen Dock specialists had a diagnosis rate of <70%.

Conclusions: From the auscultation results, the significance of specialists in health checkups was confirmed.