Electrocardiac System More Accurate than Traditional ECG

A study has shown that an electrocardiac mapping system called Prime ECG is more accurate than a traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) in assessing potentially life-saving therapy following a heart attack. The study, conducted by researchers at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the University of Ulster (Belfast, Northern Ireland), was published in the October issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

The study involved 67 patients with acute myocardial infarction who received thrombolytic therapy to dissolve blockages. The Prime ECG system correctly identified 97% of patients who achieved reperfusion and 100% of those who failed to reperfuse. In contrast, a traditional ECG correctly classified only 59% of patients who achieved reperfusion. Specificity was only 50% for the 12-lead conventional ECG, while Prime ECG recorded no false positives, to achieve specificity of 100%. Failure to reperfuse after thrombolytic therapy is linked to higher death rates and may indicate the need for surgical intervention.

Accuracy was determined by comparing the findings of the two systems with the results of coronary angiography performed on all patients. The researchers noted that coronary angiography provides only a "snapshot” in time of the artery patency, while patency often alternates with blockage during the early hours after a heart attack. Also, angiography provides no information on flow, which may be more important in predicting recovery.

Prime ECG is the product of Merdian Medical Technologies, Inc. (Columbia, MD, USA). The system features 16 posterior as well as 64 anterior leads and a disposable electrode vest that is worn by the patient. Computer software processes the heart signals to create multidimensional diagnostic images.

"Assessment of myocardial perfusion may be more important than coronary patency, and perhaps should be taken as a new gold standard in future studies,” noted the study's authors.



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