A handheld single-lead ECG for screening adults at primary care visits does not increase new diagnoses of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population aged 65 or older, according to a study published in Circulation. Steven A. Lubitz, MD, MPH, and colleagues randomly assigned 16 primary care clinics to AF screening using a handheld, single-lead ECG during vital sign assessments or usual care in a 1:1 ratio. Among 30,715 patients without prevalent AF (15,393 screening and 15,322 control), 1.72% and 1.59% in the screening and control groups, respectively, had new AF diagnosed at 1 year (risk difference [RD], 0.13%; 95% CI, −0.16 to 0.42). In prespecified subgroup analyses, among those aged 85 or older, new AF diagnoses were greater in the screening and control groups (RD, 1.80%; 95% CI, 0.18-3.30). A greater difference in newly diagnosed AF between the screening period and the prior year in the screening versus control group was observed in patients aged 85 and older.
