Annual foot exams provide clinicians with a valuable opportunity to screen diabetic patients for atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to new data presented at EHRA 2021, a virtual scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The annual assessments are recommended for all patients with diabetes due to the disease’s impact on blood flow—and it turns out they can serve another function as well.
“The yearly check-up includes palpating the arteries in the feet to examine whether there is healthy blood flow,” lead study author Ilias Kanellos, MD, a researcher at the European University of Cyprus, said in an ESC statement. “During this examination, we noticed that some patients had an irregular rhythm and decided to investigate its usefulness for diagnosing atrial fibrillation.”
For their analysis, Kanellos et al. trained two podiatrists and six podologists to identify signs of potential AFib. The specialists then used a handheld ultrasound device to confirm their findings.
Over the course of one year, 300 patients—180 men and 120 women—participated in the study. The average patient age was 60 years old. Overall, 17% of patients had undiagnosed AFib.
“The study has identified a simple, quick, and low-cost way to identify patients with diabetes who have a heart rhythm disorder they were unaware of,” Kanellos said. “This intervention has the potential to avoid strokes and preserve quality of life in this patient group.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.