The evaluation of a precordial ECG BELT: Technologist satisfaction and accuracy of recording

The standard method for performing electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings prese nts a challenge to technicians because of the need to correctly position th e individual precordial electrodes according to 6 bony thoracic landmarks. A proposed new method using a 6-lead ECG BELT for precordial application wa s compared to the standard method to determine the level of agreement among automated interpretations. A comparison of automated interpretations from repeat standard recordings served as the control. Results indicate that BEL T and standard automated interpretations disagreed significantly more frequ ently than repeat standard recording automated interpretations of the cardi ac rhythm. The BELT's most obvious weakness was the inability to obtain a r ecording with a stable ECG baseline, triggering automated detection of "bas eline artifact or wander," and requiring a repeat recording. These findings suggest that the ECG BELT is not adequate for clinical application in its current form.