Optimal duration of event recording for diagnosis of arrhythmias in patients with palpitations and light-headedness in the general practice

Background. Patient-activated continuous-loop event recorders (CER) are useful as a diagnostic tool in new episodes of palpitations and/or dizziness. So far, no analysis of optimal duration for monitoring in unselected patients has been published. Methods. During a period of 30 days, we prospectively evaluated the time until diagnosis using CER in patients with symptoms of palpitations and/or dizziness in general practice. Results. In total, 127 patients received an event recorder for a maximum duration of 30 days. Events were recorded by 104 patients (82%), of whom 83 (78%) showed an arrhythmia. After 2 weeks, 75% of all diagnoses and 83.3% of all clinically relevant diagnoses could be established. Conclusion. The yield of event recording in general practice diminishes with recording time. A minimum recording time of 2 weeks seems necessary.