Predicting Hypoglycaemia and Arrhythmias in the Patient With Diabetes and CKD - Validation Study

Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) exhibit an excessive risk for cardiac arrhythmias, in particular sudden cardiac death (SCD). Various studies have shown that hypoglycemic episodes are strong predictors of cardiovascular mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Experimental data and small clinical studies link hypoglycemia with ECG changes and SCD, but little is known about the direct association of hypoglycemic events and/or rapid swings in blood glucose with arrhythmias in this high risk population. Ideally, an algorithm should help to identify patients at risk for hypoglycemia-associated arrhythmias and SCD, but hitherto systematic analyses of blood glucose values and 12-channel ECGs are lacking in these patients. In this validation study a 12-lead ECG T-shirt consisting of textile electrodes and a data logging device wich can record long-term 12-lead ECG data will be tested. The purpose of the T-shirt is to improve the patient's comfort for long-term recordings and to prevent adverse effects of regular ECG electrodes. Current systems are limited by the use of ECG electrodes involving disadvantages like severe direct side effects on the skin such as rash and bullous lesions as well as slipping electrodes. By the means of the proposed ECG T-shirt those drawbacks will be avoided.