Health Technology Assessment Reports, 1987. Number 3. The Cardiointegram in the Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease

摘要

The Cardiointegraph is a noninvasive device that receives electrical input signals from the standard electrocardiograph machine and transforms them into a cardiointegram (CIG). The transformation is obtained by performing a series of nonlinear mathematical transformations on the voltage versus time electrocardiographic format. The CIG is then superimposed on a previously determined normal template. If the patient's cardiointegram extends outside of the template, it is deemed positive for coronary artery disease (CAD) with the proviso that the patient fulfills certain criteria. It is proposed that the CIG provides a fast, noninvasive, and safe method for the detection of CAD in selected populations of male patients. The opinions of the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Preventive Medicine indicate that the CIG is an investigative modality, and further studies are appropriate in order to unequivocally define the role of CIG in CAD diagnosis.