Aims: Undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for 6% of all strokes, therefore early detection and treatment of the arrhythmia are paramount. Previous research has illustrated that the Microlife WatchBPO3 AFIB, an automated blood pressure (BP) monitor with an inbuilt AF algorithm, accurately detects permanent AF. Currently, limited data exist on whether the modified BP monitor is able to detect paroxysmal AF (PAF). Therefore, this study aims to assess the accuracy of the Microlife WatchBPO3 AFIB monitor to detect PAF against a pacemaker reference standard over a 24-h period.
Methods and results: Forty-eight patients with a pacemaker implanted for sick sinus syndrome and previously documented fast AF participated. Sensitivity of the atrial pacemaker lead was set to allow detection of signals of ≥ 0.5 mV. Patients engaged in their normal daily routine whilst wearing the modified BP monitor. The modified BP monitor demonstrated an overall sensitivity of 76.0% and specificity of 80.8% for detecting PAF. This sensitivity and specificity increased to 100% and 83.1%, respectively, for patients that achieved more than 80% successful BP readings. Compared to day-time readings, night-time readings also demonstrated a lower proportion of movement artefact (14.4% vs. 3.4%), and therefore, a higher sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 84.9%, respectively, for detecting PAF.
Conclusion: The Microlife WatchBPO3 AFIB device has an acceptable diagnostic accuracy to detect PAF; however, movement artefact affects the accuracy of the readings. This modified BP monitor may potentially be useful as a screening tool for AF in patients at high risk of developing stroke.
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Blood pressure; Detection; Sensitivity; Specificity.