ECG Interpretation Proficiency of Healthcare Professionals.

ECG interpretation is essential in modern medicine, yet achieving and maintaining competency can be challenging for healthcare professionals. Quantifying proficiency gaps can inform educational interventions for addressing these challenges. Medical professionals from diverse disciplines and training levels interpreted 30 12-lead ECGs with common urgent and nonurgent findings. Average accuracy (percentage of correctly identified findings), interpretation time per ECG, and self-reported confidence (rated on a scale of 0 [not confident], 1 [somewhat confident], or 2 [confident]) were evaluated. Among the 1206 participants, there were 72 (6%) primary care physicians (PCPs), 146 (12%) cardiology fellows-in-training (FITs), 353 (29%) resident physicians, 182 (15%) medical students, 84 (7%) advanced practice providers (APPs), 120 (10%) nurses, and 249 (21%) allied health professionals (AHPs). Overall, participants achieved an average overall accuracy of 56.4% ± 17.2%, interpretation time of 142 ± 67 seconds, and confidence of 0.83 ± 0.53. Cardiology FITs demonstrated superior performance across all metrics. PCPs had a higher accuracy compared to nurses and APPs (58.1% vs 46.8% and 50.6%; P < 0.01), but a lower accuracy than resident physicians (58.1% vs 59.7%; P < 0.01). AHPs outperformed nurses and APPs in every metric and showed comparable performance to resident physicians and PCPs. Our findings highlight significant gaps in the ECG interpretation proficiency among healthcare professionals.

Education curriculum assessment for teaching electrocardiography: Rationale and design for the prospective, international, randomized controlled EDUCATE trial.

BACKGROUND: Electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation training is a fundamental component of medical education across disciplines. However, the skill of interpreting ECGs is not universal among medical graduates, and numerous barriers and challenges exist in medical training and clinical practice. An evidence-based and widely accessible learning solution is needed. DESIGN: The EDUcation Curriculum Assessment for Teaching Electrocardiography (EDUCATE) Trial is a prospective, international, investigator-initiated, open-label, randomized controlled trial designed to determine the efficacy of self-directed and active-learning approaches of a web-based educational platform for improving ECG interpretation proficiency. Target enrollment is 1000 medical professionals from a variety of medical disciplines and training levels. Participants will complete a pre-intervention baseline survey and an ECG interpretation proficiency test. After completion, participants will be randomized into one of four groups in a 1:1:1:1 fashion: (i) an online, question-based learning resource, (ii) an online, lecture-based learning resource, (iii) an online, hybrid question- and lecture-based learning resource, or (iv) a control group with no ECG learning resources. The primary endpoint will be the change in overall ECG interpretation performance according to pre- and post-intervention tests, and it will be measured within and compared between medical professional groups. Secondary endpoints will include changes in ECG interpretation time, self-reported confidence, and interpretation accuracy for specific ECG findings. CONCLUSIONS: The EDUCATE Trial is a pioneering initiative aiming to establish a practical, widely available, evidence-based solution to enhance ECG interpretation proficiency among medical professionals. Through its innovative study design, it tackles the currently unaddressed challenges of ECG interpretation education in the modern era. The trial seeks to pinpoint performance gaps across medical professions, compare the effectiveness of different web-based ECG content delivery methods, and create initial evidence for competency-based standards. If successful, the EDUCATE Trial will represent a significant stride towards data-driven solutions for improving ECG interpretation skills in the medical community.

Sex influences on ventricular repolarization duration in normal subjects and in type 1, 2 and 3 long QT syndrome patients: Different effect in acquired and congenital type 2 LQTS.

AIM: To evaluate the interaction between sex and rate corrected QT interval (QTc) duration in normal subjects after drug-induced QT prolongation and in LQTS patients. METHODS: Semi-automated measurements were performed on 875 digital ECGs (200 normal subjects off drugs (100 females), 200 normal subjects on Moxifloxacin (100 females), 259 LQT1 patients (161 females), 183 LQT2 patients (100 females) and 33 LQT3 patients (15 females)). A sex specific coefficient was calculated in each group and was used to calculate group specific corrected QT intervals (QTci). RESULTS: The mean sex difference (female minus male) in QTci interval duration was 17 ms 95%CI(12.7; 21.3) in normal subjects, 19 ms (14.5; 23.5) on Moxifloxacin, and 13 ms (4.8; 21.2) in LQT1 patients. The mean difference was 2 ms (-7.9; 11.9) in LQT2 and - 5 ms (-32.2; 22.2) in LQT3 patients (p = 0.0067 for the group and sex interaction). In the subgroup of patients above 15 years and without beta blocker treatment, the sex effect (female minus male) on QTci interval duration was 17 ms (4.1; 29.9) in LQT1 patients. QTc duration was not different between sex in LQT2 and in LQT3 patients (mean difference - 3 ms (-21.6; 15.6) and 12 ms (-28.4; 52.4), respectively) (p = 0.0191 for group and sex interaction). CONCLUSIONS: The interaction between sex and QTc interval is preserved in type 1 LQTS and drug-induced QTc prolongation but blurred in type 2 LQTS. Further experimental studies are warranted to better understand the interaction of sexual hormones with malfunctioning KCNH2 encoded repolarizing potassium channel.

False-positive stress testing: Does endothelial vascular dysfunction contribute to ST-segment depression in women? A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The utility of exercise-induced ST-segment depression for diagnosing ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women is unclear. HYPOTHESIS: Based on evidence that IHD pathophysiology in women involves coronary vascular dysfunction, we hypothesized that coronary vascular dysfunction contributes to exercise electrocardiography (Ex-ECG) ST-depression in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease, so-called false positive results. We tested our hypothesis in a pilot study evaluating the relationship between peripheral vascular endothelial function and Ex-ECG. METHODS: Twenty-nine asymptomatic women without cardiac risk factors underwent maximal Bruce protocol exercise treadmill testing and peripheral endothelial function assessment using peripheral arterial tonometry (Itamar EndoPAT 2000) to measure reactive hyperemia index (RHI). The relationship between RHI and Ex-ECG ST-segment depression was evaluated using logistic regression and differences in subgroups using 2-tailed t tests. RESULTS: Mean age was 54 ± 7 years, body mass index 25 ± 4 kg/m2 , and RHI 2.51 ± 0.66. Three women (10%) had RHI <1.68, consistent with abnormal peripheral endothelial function, whereas 18 women (62%) met criteria for positive Ex-ECG based on ST-segment depression in contiguous leads. Women with and without ST-segment depression had similar baseline and exercise vital signs, metabolic equivalents achieved, and RHI (all P > 0.05). RHI did not predict ST-segment depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our pilot study demonstrates high prevalence of exercise-induced ST-segment depression in asymptomatic, middle-aged, overweight women. Peripheral vascular endothelial dysfunction did not predict Ex-ECG ST-segment depression. Further work is needed to investigate the utility of vascular endothelial testing and Ex-ECG for IHD diagnostic and management purposes in women.

Comparison of automated interval measurements by widely used algorithms in digital electrocardiographs.

BACKGROUND: Automated measurements of electrocardiographic (ECG) intervals by current-generation digital electrocardiographs are critical to computer-based ECG diagnostic statements, to serial comparison of ECGs, and to epidemiological studies of ECG findings in populations. A previous study demonstrated generally small but often significant systematic differences among 4 algorithms widely used for automated ECG in the United States and that measurement differences could be related to the degree of abnormality of the underlying tracing. Since that publication, some algorithms have been adjusted, whereas other large manufacturers of automated ECGs have asked to participate in an extension of this comparison. METHODS: Seven widely used automated algorithms for computer-based interpretation participated in this blinded study of 800 digitized ECGs provided by the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium. All tracings were different from the study of 4 algorithms reported in 2014, and the selected population was heavily weighted toward groups with known effects on the QT interval: included were 200 normal subjects, 200 normal subjects receiving moxifloxacin as part of an active control arm of thorough QT studies, 200 subjects with genetically proved long QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), and 200 subjects with genetically proved long QT syndrome Type 2 (LQT2). RESULTS: For the entire population of 800 subjects, pairwise differences between algorithms for each mean interval value were clinically small, even where statistically significant, ranging from 0.2 to 3.6milliseconds for the PR interval, 0.1 to 8.1milliseconds for QRS duration, and 0.1 to 9.3milliseconds for QT interval. The mean value of all paired differences among algorithms was higher in the long QT groups than in normals for both QRS duration and QT intervals. Differences in mean QRS duration ranged from 0.2 to 13.3milliseconds in the LQT1 subjects and from 0.2 to 11.0milliseconds in the LQT2 subjects. Differences in measured QT duration (not corrected for heart rate) ranged from 0.2 to 10.5milliseconds in the LQT1 subjects and from 0.9 to 12.8milliseconds in the LQT2 subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Among current-generation computer-based electrocardiographs, clinically small but statistically significant differences exist between ECG interval measurements by individual algorithms. Measurement differences between algorithms for QRS duration and for QT interval are larger in long QT interval subjects than in normal subjects. Comparisons of population study norms should be aware of small systematic differences in interval measurements due to different algorithm methodologies, within-individual interval measurement comparisons should use comparable methods, and further attempts to harmonize interval measurement methodologies are warranted.

Debatable issues in automated ECG reporting.

Although automated ECG analysis has been available for many years, there are some aspects which require to be re-assessed with respect to their value while newer techniques which are worthy of review are beginning to find their way into routine use. At the annual International Society of Computerized Electrocardiology conference held in April 2017, four areas in particular were debated. These were a) automated 12 lead resting ECG analysis; b) real time out of hospital ECG monitoring; c) ECG imaging; and d) single channel ECG rhythm interpretation. One speaker presented the positive aspects of each technique and another outlined the more negative aspects. Debate ensued. There were many positives set out for each technique but equally, more negative features were not in short supply, particularly for out of hospital ECG monitoring.

In memoriam: A tribute to the work and lives of Ron Selvester and Rory Childers.

At the April, 2015 International Society for Computerized Electrocardiology (ISCE) Annual Conference in San Jose, CA, a special session entitled Remembering Ron & Rory was held to pay tribute to the extraordinary work and lives of two experts in electrocardiology. The session was well attended by conference attendees, Childers' family members and friends, and additional colleagues who traveled to San Jose solely to participate in this session. The purpose of the present paper is to document the spirit of this special session as faithfully as possible using the words of the session speakers.

The role of the ECG in diagnosis, risk estimation, and catheterization laboratory activation in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a consensus document.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most widely used imaging tool helping in diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with symptoms compatible with acute coronary syndrome. Acute ischemia affects the configuration of the QRS complexes, the ST segments and the T waves. The ECG should be read along with the clinical assessment of the patient. ST segment elevation (and ST depression in leads V1 -V3 ) in patients with active symptoms usually indicates acute occlusion of an epicardial artery with ongoing transmural ischemia. These patients should be triaged for emergent reperfusion therapy per current guidelines. However, many patients have ST segment elevation secondary to nonischemic causes. ST depression in leads other than V1 -V3 usually are indicative of subendocardial ischemia secondary to subocclusion of the epicardial artery, distal embolization to small arteries or spasm supply/demand mismatch. ST depression may also be secondary to nonischemic etiologies, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyopathies, etc. Knowing the clinical scenario, comparison to previous ECG and subsequent ECGs (in cases that there are changes in the quality or severity of symptoms) may add in the diagnosis and interpretation in difficult cases. This review addresses the different ECG patterns, typically seen in patients with active symptoms, after resolution of symptoms and the significance of such changes when seen in asymptomatic patients.

Negative T wave in ischemic heart disease: a consensus article.

BACKGROUND: For many years was considered that negative T wave in ischemic heart disease represents ischemia and for many authors located in subepicardial area. METHODS: We performed a review based in the literature and in the experience of the authors commenting the real significance of the presence of negative T wave in patients with ischemic heart disease. RESULTS: The negative T wave may be of primary or secondary type. Negative T wave observed in ischemic heart disease are of primary origin, therefore not a consequence of abnormal repolarization pattern. The negative T wave of ischemic origin presents the following characteristics: (1) are symmetrical and of variable deepness; (2) present mirror patterns; (3) starts in the second part of repolarization; and (4) may be accompanied by positive or negative U wave. The negative T wave of ischemic origin may be seen in the following clinical settings: (1) postmyocardial infarction due to a window effect of necrotic zone and (2) as a consequence of reperfusion in case of aborted MI when the artery has opened spontaneously, or after fibrinolysis, PCI, or coronary spasm. CONCLUSION: Acute ongoing ischemia do not cause negative T wave. This pattern appears when the ongoing ischemia is vanishing or in the chronic phase. In all these cases the cause of negative T wave is not located in the subepicardial area. Furthermore, positive exercise testing is expressed by ST depression never by isolated negative T wave. There are many circumstances that may present negative T wave outside ischemic heart disease and that have been discussed in this paper.

Prevalence, management, and clinical consequences of QT interval prolongation during treatment with arsenic trioxide.

PURPOSE: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is a highly effective agent for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). QT interval prolongation is common with ATO and can pose a barrier to effective administration. The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence, management, and clinical consequences of QT prolongation in a large cohort of patients treated with ATO. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 3,011 electrocardiograms from 113 patients with non-APL acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome who were treated on a previously reported clinical trial. QT intervals were assessed using four different correction formulas, and data were correlated with clinical parameters and treatment with ATO. RESULTS: There were no clinically significant cardiac events in the study population. Of those receiving ATO therapy, 29 patients (26%) had rate-uncorrected QT values above 470 ms and 13 (12%) had values exceeding 500 ms. With the commonly used Bazett rate correction formula, 102 patients (90%) had QTc greater than 470 ms, including 74 (65%) above 500 ms. By using alternative rate correction formulas, only 24% to 32% of patients had rate-corrected QT intervals above 500 ms. CONCLUSION: QT interval prolongation is common with ATO treatment, but clinically significant arrhythmias are rare and can be avoided with appropriate precautions. Use of the Bazett correction may result in unnecessary interruptions in ATO therapy, and alternative rate correction formulas should be considered for routine electrocardiographic monitoring.

Comparison of automated measurements of electrocardiographic intervals and durations by computer-based algorithms of digital electrocardiographs.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Automated measurements of electrocardiographic (ECG) intervals are widely used by clinicians for individual patient diagnosis and by investigators in population studies. We examined whether clinically significant systematic differences exist in ECG intervals measured by current generation digital electrocardiographs from different manufacturers and whether differences, if present, are dependent on the degree of abnormality of the selected ECGs. METHODS: Measurements of RR interval, PR interval, QRS duration, and QT interval were made blindly by 4 major manufacturers of digital electrocardiographs used in the United States from 600 XML files of ECG tracings stored in the US FDA ECG warehouse and released for the purpose of this study by the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium. Included were 3 groups based on expected QT interval and degree of repolarization abnormality, comprising 200 ECGs each from (1) placebo or baseline study period in normal subjects during thorough QT studies, (2) peak moxifloxacin effect in otherwise normal subjects during thorough QT studies, and (3) patients with genotyped variants of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS). RESULTS: Differences of means between manufacturers were generally small in the normal and moxifloxacin subjects, but in the LQTS patients, differences of means ranged from 2.0 to 14.0 ms for QRS duration and from 0.8 to 18.1 ms for the QT interval. Mean absolute differences between algorithms were similar for QRS duration and QT intervals in the normal and in the moxifloxacin subjects (mean ≤6 ms) but were significantly larger in patients with LQTS. CONCLUSIONS: Small but statistically significant group differences in mean interval and duration measurements and means of individual absolute differences exist among automated algorithms of widely used, current generation digital electrocardiographs. Measurement differences, including QRS duration and the QT interval, are greatest for the most abnormal ECGs.

ACCF/AHA/ASE/ASNC/HFSA/HRS/SCAI/SCCT/SCMR/STS 2013 multimodality appropriate use criteria for the detection and risk assessment of stable ischemic heart disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation Appropriate Use Criteria Task Force, American Heart Association, American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The American College of Cardiology Foundation along with key specialty and subspecialty societies, conducted an appropriate use review of common clinical presentations for stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) to consider use of stress testing and anatomic diagnostic procedures. This document reflects an updating of the prior Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) published for radionuclide imaging (RNI), stress echocardiography (Echo), calcium scoring, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and invasive coronary angiography for SIHD. This is in keeping with the commitment to revise and refine the AUC on a frequent basis. A major innovation in this document is the rating of tests side by side for the same indication. The side-by-side rating removes any concerns about differences in indication or interpretation stemming from prior use of separate documents for each test. However, the ratings were explicitly not competitive rankings due to the limited availability of comparative evidence, patient variability, and range of capabilities available in any given local setting. The indications for this review are limited to the detection and risk assessment of SIHD and were drawn from common applications or anticipated uses, as well as from current clinical practice guidelines. Eighty clinical scenarios were developed by a writing committee and scored by a separate rating panel on a scale of 1-9, to designate Appropriate, May Be Appropriate, or Rarely Appropriate use following a modified Delphi process following the recently updated AUC development methodology. The use of some modalities of testing in the initial evaluation of patients with symptoms representing ischemic equivalents, newly diagnosed heart failure, arrhythmias, and syncope was generally found to be Appropriate or May Be Appropriate, except in cases where low pre-test probability or low risk limited the benefit of most testing except exercise electrocardiogram (ECG). Testing for the evaluation of new or worsening symptoms following a prior test or procedure was found to be Appropriate. In addition, testing was found to be Appropriate or May Be Appropriate for patients within 90 days of an abnormal or uncertain prior result. Pre-operative testing was rated Appropriate or May Be Appropriate only for patients who had poor functional capacity and were undergoing vascular or intermediate risk surgery with 1 or more clinical risk factors or an organ transplant. The exercise ECG was suggested as an Appropriate test for cardiac rehabilitation clearance or for exercise prescription purposes. Testing in asymptomatic patients was generally found to be Rarely Appropriate, except for calcium scoring and exercise testing in intermediate and high-risk individuals and either stress or anatomic imaging in higher-risk individuals, which were all rated as May Be Appropriate. All modalities of follow-up testing after a prior test or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 2 years and within 5 years after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in the absence of new symptoms were rated Rarely Appropriate. Pre-operative testing for patients with good functional capacity, prior normal testing within 1 year, or prior to low-risk surgery also were found to be Rarely Appropriate. Imaging for an exercise prescription or prior to the initiation of cardiac rehabilitation was Rarely Appropriate except for cardiac rehabilitation clearance for heart failure patients.

Usefulness of preoperative exercise tolerance to predict late survival and symptom persistence after surgery for chronic nonischemic mitral regurgitation.

Exercise duration during exercise treadmill testing (ETT) predicts long-term outcome among asymptomatic patients with mitral regurgitation. However, the prognostic value of preoperative exercise duration in patients who undergo mitral valve surgery is unknown. We examined findings among 45 prospectively followed (average 9.2 ± 4.3 years) patients (aged 54.8 ± 12.0 years, 45% men) with chronic isolated severe MR who underwent ETT before mitral valve surgery to test the hypotheses that exercise duration predicts long-term postoperative survival and persistent symptoms within 2 years after operation. During follow-up, 11 patients died; of these, 8 had persistent symptoms. Among patients who exercised >7 minutes, average annual postoperative all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risks were 0.75% (both endpoints) versus 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, versus those who exercised ≤7 minutes (p = 0.003 all-cause, p = 0.007 cardiovascular). Exercise duration predicted postoperative deaths (p <.02 all cause, p <.04 cardiovascular) even when analysis was adjusted for preoperative variations in age, gender, medications, history of atrial fibrillation, and peak exercise heart rates. Other ETT, echocardiographic, and clinical variables were not independently associated with these outcomes when exercise duration was considered in the analysis. Preoperative exercise duration also predicted postoperative (New York Heart Association functional class ≥II) symptom persistence (p = 0.012), whereas other ETT, echocardiographic and clinical variables did not (NS, all). In conclusion, among patients who undergo surgery for chronic nonischemic mitral regurgitation, preoperative exercise duration, unlike many commonly used descriptors, is useful for predicting postoperative mortality and symptom persistence. Future research should determine whether interventions to improve exercise tolerance before mitral valve surgery can modify these postoperative outcomes.

Nonischemic mitral regurgitation: prognostic value of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia after mitral valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), frequent in unoperated severe mitral regurgitation (MR), confers mortality risk [sudden death (SD) and cardiac death (CD)]. The prognostic value of VT after mitral valve surgery (MVS) is unknown; we aimed to define this prognostic value and to assess its modulation by left (LV) and/or right (RV) ventricular ejection fraction (EF) for mortality after MVS. METHODS: In 57 patients (53% females, aged 58 ± 12 years) with severe MR prospectively followed before and after MVS, we performed 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiograms approximately annually. LVEF and RVEF were determined within 1 year after MVS by radionuclide cineangiography. RESULTS: During 9.52 ± 3.49 endpoint-free follow-up years, late postoperative CD occurred in 11 patients (7 SD, 4 heart failures). In univariable analysis, >1 VT episode after MVS predicted SD (p < 0.01) and CD (SD or heart failure; p < 0.04). Subnormal postoperative RVEF predicted CD (p < 0.04). When adjusted for preoperative age, gender, etiology or antiarrhythmics, both postoperative VT and RVEF predicted CD (p ≤ 0.05). When postoperative VT and RVEF were both in the multivariable model, only subnormal RVEF predicted CD (p < 0.04). Among those with normal RVEF, VT >1 episode predicted SD (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Postoperative VT and subnormal RVEF predict late postoperative deaths in nonischemic MR. Their assessment may aid patient management.