Differences in Treating Patients with Palpitations at the Primary Healthcare Level Using Telemedical Device Savvy before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Palpitations are one of most common reasons why a patient visits a general practitioner (GP) and is referred to a cardiologist. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with new-onset arrhythmias, which are difficult to diagnose at the primary healthcare level during pandemic-related lockdown periods. Methods: A total of 151 patients with a complaint of heart rhythm disorder were included from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as after the start of vaccination, in this cohort retrospective study. We used a telemedical device—namely, a personal electrocardiographic (ECG) sensor called Savvy—to investigate heart rhythm in patients. The primary outcome of the study was to evaluate the number of actual heart rhythm disorder patients and any differences that infection with or vaccination for COVID-19 had on patients handled in a primary healthcare setting. Results: We found a heart rhythm disorder in 8.6% of patients before the COVID-19 pandemic and in 15.2–17.9% of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). During the COVID-19 pandemic, we found a heart rhythm disorder in almost 50% of patients that had tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 virus) more than one month ago. After the vaccinations started, we also found a heart rhythm disorder in almost 50% of non-vaccinated patients. Conclusions: Using a telemedical approach or remote consultation is a useful method, at the primary healthcare level, for diagnosing and treating patients with palpitations during times of lockdown.

Keywords

• telemedicine
• cardiac arrhythmia
• primary healthcare level
• COVID-19 infection
• COVID-19 vaccination
• referrals