Computerized serial comparison of electrocardiograms - program performance in acute myocardial infarction

We have developed a computer program, which is now available in the Philips medical systems TracemasterVue ECG management system, that examines serial ECG changes in each of the diagnostic ECG categories by comparing the ECG waveforms and creates serial comparison reports. Taking into consideration the previous ECG, the serial comparison program further enhances the accuracy of ECG diagnoses, particularly diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction. Acute myocardial infarct diagnosis may vary from one ECG to the next due to biological variation, due to lead placement, or due to minor differences relative to the threshold values used in the ECG criteria. In the serial comparison program design, we have taken approaches such as grouping the infarct locations and defining ranges and levels of waveform serial changes to minimize such variations in ECG diagnosis. Comparing with an expert cardiologist ECG reader, our serial comparison program has shown a high agreement of 88% on edited ECGs, 79% on non-edited ECGs, and 85% in infarct evolution, respectively