A Handheld ECG Device

The detection of paroxysmal arrhythmia in patients suffering from intermittent palpitations remains an important challenge in modern cardiology. Correct diagnosis of the underlying paroxysmal arrhythmia is needed in order to provide state-of-the-art medical care. Current monitoring tools such as 24- hour Holter ECG, continuous 7-day ECG, and external or implantable loop recorders have many disadvantages and a presumably suboptimal sensitivity for the diagnosis of paroxysmal arrhythmias. Handheld ECG devices are an attractive alternative that may mitigate some of the limitations of conventional devices and have the potential to be implemented in routine clinical practice. We describe the case of a 76-year-old male Caucasian suffering from palpitations associated with malaise. In providing the patient with a handheld ECG device (Zenicor ECG), paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was diagnosed after 2 days. The patient was started on oral anticoagulants and referred for radiofrequency ablation. Portable ECG devices reportedly show an excellent efficiency for the detection of significant arrhythmia in hospital and outpatient settings. Given their wide availability and low cost, they could easily be implemented in daily clinical practice.