Comparison of wireless electrocardiographic monitoring and standard ECG in dogs

Abstract

Electrocardiographic (ECG) data obtained by a wireless body electrode attached to the skin and connected to a smart device via low power Bluetooth technology were compared with a standard ECG in 8 dogs. The ECG data were gained from dogs with suspected arrhythmias due to cardiac or systemic diseases. A 2-minute standard ECG has been compared to a 15-minute recording obtained with wireless body electrodes. It has been established that this wireless electrocardiographic monitoring is a sensitive and specific method for identification of heart rates, duration of ECG waves and arrhythmia. When compared to a standard ECG, equivalent results were obtained for the heart rate and duration of different waves. Due to longer recording time the wireless device was more sensitive for documenting arrhythmias. With the wireless body electrodes, the ECG data were obtained while the dogs were lying down, standing or walking. The wireless electrode proved to be reliable and simple to use. This device enables a good option of long-term monitoring of canine cardiac rhythm in real-world environment.