Usefulness of transtelephonic documentation of the electrocardiogram during sporadic symptoms suggestive of cardiac arrhythmias.

One hundred patients with sporadically occurring symptoms suggesting cardiac arrhythmias were evaluated with the aid of a transtelephonic electrocardiographic recording device (Cardiomemo). In 83 patients, 124 episodes with symptoms were documented and a correlation with electrocardiographic findings could be established. Forty of these patients (48%) had a cardiac arrhythmia and 43 (52%) had a normal heart rhythm. It appears that, for the assessment of sporadically occurring symptoms, transtelephonic electrocardiographic recording is a valuable supplement to 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring.