A method for counting ectopic beats by computer analysis of R-R intervals.

A method is described for detecting and counting ectopic beats using a small computer. The occurrence of an ectopic beat is identified by the relative duration of adjacent pulse intervals as demonstrated by simple arithmetical procedures. The method was validated by manual counting of records from 18 patients. 89% of 1474 ectopics were correctly identified. There were few false positive identifications 42. Although the method is unsuitable for the diagnosis of arrhythmias it is likely to be of value in epidemiological studies of such disturbances.