Screening for atrial fibrillation in subjects aged 65 using a long-term continuous ECG telemonitoring vest: the NOninvasive Monitoring for early detection of atrial fibrillation (NOMED-AF) study

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) confers a high healthcare burden from stroke, heart failure, dementia and hospitalisation, and one challenge is. Early detection of this arrhythmia in the community, given that it is often asymptomatic. Aim To perform population screening for atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF/AFl) using a mobile long-term continuous ECG telemonitoring vest in a representative Polish and European population aged ≥65 years (age range 65–100 years). Methods The NOMED-AF study is a cross-sectional study based on a representative sample of adults aged ≥65 years (n=3014; mean age 77.5±7.9 years; 49.1% female). All study participants were equipped with a mobile long-term continuous ECG telemonitoring vest. National and European estimations were calculated on weighted data. Results In 680 subjects AF/AFl (including 279 with SAF; 9.3%) was confirmed. In the NOMED-AF population, the prevalence of AF/AFl was 22.6%, estimated to be 19.2% for Poland [1,251,100 (95% CI: 1,158,300–1,344,000) and 480,100 (95% CI: 426,60–533,700) subjects with AF/AFl and SAF, respectively] and 20.4% for Europe [20,300,000 (95% CI 18.8–21.9 M), including 8,000,000 (95% CI: 6.9–9.3 M) subjects with AF/AFl and SAF, respectively]. The prevalence of AF/AFl was 2.56-fold higher in men than in women and the incidence of silent AF (SAF) was 4.73-fold higher in men than in women. Although the risk of either AF/AFl or SAF increased with age, the odds ratio was significantly higher in women of a particular age group than in men of the corresponding age. Based on our survey, the total number of subjects with AF/AFl in Europe is estimated to be roughly 20.3 million (95% CI 18.8–21.9M), including 8.0 million (95% CI: 6.9–9.3M) subjects with silent AF/AFl (Figure). Conclusions Approximately 1 in 5 subjects aged ≥65 years suffers from AF/AFl. The risk for AF/AFl and SAF is higher in men than that in women, but when correlated to a particular age group, the risk increases significantly in women. Continuous ECG telemonitoring allows for more credible AF/AFl and SAF detection. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): The research has received funding from the National Centre for Research and Development under grant agreement (STRATEGMED2/269343/18/NCBR/2016