Table 3.
Characteristics of the patients with and without atrial fibrillation detected by the patch-based monitoring
| Characteristic | Patients with atrial fibrillation (n = 7) | Patients without atrial fibrillation (n = 36) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, year | 77.4 ± 6.1 | 68.6 ± 14.6 | 0.02 |
| Male, no. (%) | 4 (57.1) | 22 (61.1) | 1.00 |
| Index event, no. (%) | |||
| Stroke | 5 (71.4) | 30 (83.3) | 0.60 |
| TIA | 2 (28.6) | 6 (16.7) | |
| Prior stroke or TIA, no. (%) | 2 (28.6) | 10 (27.8) | 1.00 |
| Hypertension, no. (%) | 6 (85.7) | 20 (55.6) | 0.22 |
| Diabetes, no. (%) | 1 (14.3) | 9 (25.0) | 1.00 |
| History of ischaemic heart disease, no. (%) | 4 (57.1) | 4 (11.1) | 0.02 |
| Smoking status, no. (%) | |||
| Ex-smoker | 4 (57.1) | 8 (22.2) | 0.10 |
| Current smoker | 0 (0) | 6 (16.7) | |
| CHADS2VASc2 score, no. (%)a | 5.0 ± 0.6 | 4.3 ± 1.2 | 0.03 |
| No. of days from index event to randomisation | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.0 ± 1.0 | 0.73 |
| Echocardiographic parametersb | |||
| Left atrial enlargementc | 6 (85.7) | 11 (39.2) | 0.04 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 53.2 ± 4.5 | 53.3 ± 4.3 | 0.94 |
| Arrhythmia detection on patch-based monitoring | |||
| Detection of VT | 5 (71.4) | 10 (27.8) | 0.04 |
| Number of episodes of VT | 1.1 ± 0.9 | 1.3 ± 3.5 | 0.81 |
| Detection of VEs | 7 (100) | 35 (97.2) | 1.00 |
| Percentage of total beats as VEs | 3.4 ± 1.7 | 8.2 ± 10.5 | 0.44 |
| Detection of SVEs | 7 (100) | 36 (100) | – |
| Percentage of total beats as SVEs | 3.1 ± 1.8 | 3.0 ± 2.9 | 0.97 |
| Detection of SVT | 5 (83.3) | 27 (75.0) | 1.00 |
| Number of SVT episodes | 53.2 ± 63.2 | 16.4 ± 25.4 | 0.22 |
Plus–minus values are mean ± SD. P values were calculated with the use of Student’s t test, Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney Rank-Sum test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. TIA denotes transient ischaemic attack
SVE supraventricular ectopics, SVT supraventricular tachycardia, TIA transient ischaemic attack, VE ventricular ectopics, VT ventricular tachycardia
aScores on the CHADS2VASc2 risk assessment range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating a greater risk of stroke
bTransthoracic echocardiography and/or transoesophageal echocardiography was performed in 6 and 28 patients in the PAF and non-PAF groups, respectively
cLeft atrial enlargement was defined as left atrial diameter ≥ 40 mm or left atrial volume index ≥ 29 mL/m2