Objective: We have previously used a 12-lead, signal-processed ECG to calculate blood potassium levels. We now assess the feasibility of doing so with a smartphone-enabled single lead, to permit remote monitoring.
Patients and methods: Twenty-one hemodialysis patients held a smartphone equipped with inexpensive FDA-approved electrodes for three 2min intervals during hemodialysis. Individualized potassium estimation models were generated for each patient. ECG-calculated potassium values were compared to blood potassium results at subsequent visits to evaluate the accuracy of the potassium estimation models.
Results: The mean absolute error between the estimated potassium and blood potassium 0.38±0.32 mEq/L (9% of average potassium level) decreasing to 0.6 mEq/L using predictors of poor signal.
Conclusions: A single-lead ECG acquired using electrodes attached to a smartphone device can be processed to calculate the serum potassium with an error of 9% in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Summary: A single-lead ECG acquired using electrodes attached to a smartphone can be processed to calculate the serum potassium in patients undergoing hemodialysis remotely.
Keywords: Electrocardiogram; End-Stage Renal Disease; Hemodialysis; Hyperkalemia; Potassium.
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