Researchers undertook this multicenter randomized clinical trial to assess 2 home-based atrial fibrillation (AF) screening interventions. They investigated if screening older people for AF using a wearable electrocardiographic monitor would be feasible, identify a high rate of AF, and result in anticoagulation for most cases. Participants were selected from primary care practices and included people aged 75 years or older with hypertension and without known AF. Findings demonstrated the good tolerability of a wearable continuous electrocardiographic monitor as a screening tool for AF in older community-dwelling people with hypertension, and it not only increased AF detection 10-fold but also prompted the start of anticoagulant therapy in most cases. Experts found intermittent oscillometric screening with a blood pressure monitor as an inferior strategy, vs continuous ECG, for the detection of paroxysmal AF. Source
