Image taken from Heart Rhythm 2013;10:315-319.

A recent article in the Heart Rhythm Journal examines the performance of a smart-phone based application to detect atrial fibrillation. McManus et al conducted real-time analyses using two different statistical methods: root mean square of successive RR differences and Shannon entropy. They found that an algorithm combining both methods demonstrated excellent sensitivity (0.962), specificity (0.975), and accuracy (0.968) for beat-to-beat discrimination of an irregular pulse during afib from sinus rhythm. In an editorial, Dr. Dave Callans (from the University of Pennsylvania) congratulated the authors for this promising new strategy but raised questions on the clinical utility of this application in the absence of better strategies to manage and interpret this new data.