Submitted by sjc313 on Fri, 27/06/2025 - 08:14
Chief Investigator for SAFER, Professor Jonathan Mant, and the hand-held ECG device (Zenicor) used in the study.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart condition associated with one-third of strokes, and many people are undiagnosed. If AF is identified and patients are given an anticoagulant (blood thinner), 300,000 strokes could be prevented annually. However, we do not know whether screening for AF is worthwhile. The SAFER trial is the largest ever trial to answer this question.
Primary care, which is already overburdened, is often tasked with detecting more AF. In this paper published in BMC Primary Care, Dr Rakesh Modi and colleagues from the PCU’s Cardiovascular Group screened 288 participants aged 70 and over with hand-held ECG devices in a SAFER feasibility study. Some had screening delivered by general practice and others by SAFER administrators, with participants randomised to various levels of support.
Over 94% of participants produced high quality and quantity of ECGs even with minimal support, with no significant difference between the different models. All new AF diagnoses were anticoagulated. This confirmed their previous study that AF detection could be delivered remotely, and furthermore that it does not need general practice, contrary to current practice.
Dr Modi and colleagues are now implementing a similar pathway locally for investigating palpitations, soon to expand to the region.