Do you have a stroke risk? The answer is at the end of the stick

People who are reluctant to see a doctor may be seduced by the concept. In the city of Pessac, Gironde, over 65 can perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) – a record of the electrical activity of the heart – simply by holding a stick in their hands.

Screen for atrial fibrillation

The purpose of the operation: to detect a very common cardiac rhythm disorder, atrial fibrillation, which promotes the occurrence of strokes. The use of this small medical device is part of the PESSAC program (prevention and awareness of stroke, an acronym of the most appropriate), at the initiative of neurologists from the University Hospital of Bordeaux and funded by the regional agency Health (ARS). The 10,000 inhabitants of Pessac can already go to one of 18 pharmacies in their city to test their hearts.

Green light or red alert

The operation of this little stick of less than 30 cm, called MyDiagnostick and produced by a Dutch company, is very simple. It is enough for the patient to grab at each of its ends, where there are two electrodes. If the heart beats abnormally, the electrodes detect these irregularities. The result is not long: in one minute, the diodes are colored green or red.

If it's green, everything is fine. If it is red, however, the patient is referred to a doctor for further examinations.

Objective: 5000 screens in one year

Project promoters hope to achieve between 5,000 and 7,000 screenings in one year. "This would detect about fifty unknown arrhythmias of which seven or eight could cause stroke in the same year"said Dr. François Rouanet, head of the Clinical Neuroscience Unit at CHU Pellegrin, to our colleagues in Sud Ouest (paid article).

By preventing the heart from contracting effectively, atrial fibrillation cardiac arrhythmia (ACFA) causes stagnation of the blood and the formation of clots that can migrate and obstruct a brain vessel and cause stroke.

At the first signs of stroke (partial paralysis, numbness, speech or vision disorder), it is imperative to call 15 and start a treatment to unclog the artery (it's called thrombolysis). If possible in less than four and a half hours, which limits the risk of sequelae and death.