Detection of atrial fibrillation using an earlobe photoplethysmographic sensor

Abstract

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the world, associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events and an increased mortality rate. Due to the frequently asymptomatic nature of AF, a significant portion of AF is subclinical. To address this issue, we tested the feasibility of detecting AF using photoplethysmographic signal acquired from a non-invasive earlobe photoplethysmographic sensor. Photoplethysmographic recordings were taken from AF patients before and after cardioversion procedures, along with recordings from a healthy control group. This signal was analyzed and multiple parameters of heart rate variability were calculated. The parameter with the highest discriminant capability resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 90.9%. These results show that using earlobe photoplethysmographic signal is a viable, inexpensive, and non-invasive AF detection method that could be invaluable in detecting subclinical AF.