Tape monitoring of the electrocardiogram in ambulant patients with sinoatrial disease.

Abstract

Continuous tape recording of the electrocardiogram was carried out on 25 patients with sinus bradycardia or sinoatrial block. A 72-hour record was made on each fully ambulant patient, by a miniature portable tape recorder and the tapes processed with automatic dysrhythmia detection. A high incidence of slow and fast sinaatrial dysrhythmias was discovered and brief episodes of atrial tachydysrhythmias were especially com- mon. The characteristic syndrome of sinoatrial dysrhythmias has beenfurther clarified by this tape monitoring technique which has also proved to be valuable in the diagnosis and treatment of the individual patient.