Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyResearch article
Prevalence, burden and manifestation of atrial fibrillation: a large-scale analysis of cardiac patch monitors
- analysis of cardiac patch monitor reports
- stratified by monitoring indication, atrial fibrillation (AF) burden grouping and geography
Authors' conclusion
In patients undergoing clinically indicated patch monitoring, AF burden varied by monitoring indication, symptomatology and geography, identifying potentially distinct AF subgroups. Characterising AF burden can inform the development and evaluation of AF monitoring and treatment strategies.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing clinically indicated cardiac patch monitoring, May 2017 to July 2023monitoring reports
- Participants
- 142,346 patients
- Comparison
- no AF vs low burden AF vs moderate burden AF vs continuous AF
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
AF detection
AF detected
15 678 cases (11.17%)
median AF burden
100% (IQR 4.67-100.00)
Further findings
| Outcome | UK | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| AF detection, burden and prescribed monitoring duration by geography | AF detection 12.2% | AF detection 10.9% |
| median burden among detected cases | 100.0 | 55.0% |
| prescribed monitoring duration | median 48.00 hours (IQR 24.00-168.00) | 168.00 hours (IQR 168.00-336.00) |
AF detection by monitoring indication
- suspected or history of AF
- 28.2%
- stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- 4.5%
- syncope/pre-syncope
- 6.5%
- palpitations
- 4.9%
Time to AF detection in the stroke/TIA monitoring population
- identified within 24 hours
- 58.8%
- identified at 7 days
- 88.0%
Heart rate and symptom burden among patients with AF detected
- continuous AF (100% AF burden) exhibited lower heart rates and symptom burden compared with low (≤10%) and moderate (10% to <100%) AF burden
Original publication
Prevalence, burden and manifestation of atrial fibrillation: a large-scale analysis of cardiac patch monitors. Heart. Published 26 August 2026. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2026-328587
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it