High-resolution esophageal long-term ECG allows detailed atrial wave morphology analysis in case of atrial ectopic beats

Med Biol Eng Comput. 2012 Jul;50(7):769-72. doi: 10.1007/s11517-012-0915-7. Epub 2012 May 18.

Abstract

Detection of arrhythmic atrial beats in surface ECGs can be challenging when they are masked by the R or T wave, or do not affect the RR-interval. Here, we present a solution using a high-resolution esophageal long-term ECG that offers a detailed view on the atrial electrical activity. The recorded ECG shows atrial ectopic beats with long coupling intervals, which can only be successfully classified using additional morphology criteria. Esophageal high-resolution ECGs provide this information, whereas surface long-term ECGs show poor atrial signal quality. This new method is a promising tool for the long-term rhythm monitoring with software-based automatic classification of atrial beats.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Atrial Premature Complexes / diagnosis*
  • Atrial Premature Complexes / physiopathology
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Electrocardiography / instrumentation
  • Electrocardiography / methods*
  • Equipment Design
  • Esophagus / physiopathology*
  • Heart Atria / physiopathology
  • Humans