Electrocardiographic diagnosis of rural emergencies, by applying a tele-ECG recording and analysis system

AIM: To identify emergencies in rural dwellers during electrocardiographic examination using a tele-electrogram (ECG) analysis (Easy ECG) system. Materials and methods. The easy ECG system connected 4 therapeutic-and-prophylactic institutions of a rural area and the town of Uryupinsk with the Research Institute of Cardiology, Russian Cardiology Research-and-Production Complex (Moscow). A total of 1,027 ECGs were recorded and analyzed in March 25, 2013 to November 11, 2013./RESULTS: Based on complaints, data of physical examinations, and results of ECG analysis, the investigators detected 188 (18.3%) emergency cases; 39 (3.8%) rural dwellers were first diagnosed as having emergencies. There were new found cases of acute coronary syndrome (n=2), focal cicatricial changes (n=11), including focal injury in the presence of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) (n=2), and ischemic cardiomyopathy (n=1) due to prior extensive myocardial infarction (as high as 28.2%). The frequent finding was intraventricular blocks (46.1%), including LBBB (n=4) and right bundle-branch block (n=1) (as high as 12.8%); the signs of left ventricular hypertrophy were encountered in 12 cases, as well as in 2 cases in the presence of LBBB (as high as 38.5%)/CONCLUSION: The findings show the value of bedside recording of ECG with its remote analysis in the absence of special diagnostic services. Each of the detected electrocardiographic syndromes is a risk factor of cardiac death.

tele-ECG transmission, automated ECG analysis, emergencies, rural area