Screening for atrial fibrillation: sensitivity and specificity of a new methodology.

There is no comprehensive screening programme for atrial fibrillation (AF) in either the UK or the US. This paper describes a simple new technology that could contribute to such a universal screening programme. The work analyses the utility of a new instrument that uses plethysmographic analysis of finger-tip pulse in the detection of AF. Comparative analysis of the instrument with the 'gold-standard' diagnostic method was undertaken in 594 patients. With the instrument set to detect all cases of AF (100% sensitivity), a specificity of 91.9% (8.1% false positives) was obtained. The authors conclude that the instrument described provides an accurate and reliable screening tool for AF, filling a gap in the current process of early detection in the community.