Comparison of diagnostic results of ECG computer programs and cardiologists

In the European concerted action Common Standards for Quantitative Electrocardiography (CSE) results of nine electrocardiography (ECG) and 6 vector cardiography (VCG) computer programs have been compared with a true diagnosis based on ECG-independent evidence, as well as to the results obtained by eight cardiologists who read the ECGs and five who read the VCGs. Results obtained in 1220 cases are presented. Assessment of the diagnostic performance of computer programs and of cardiologists against ECG-independent validated data was the primary objective. However, also testing against the readings of a group of cardiologists was performed to assess the clinical acceptability of the computer program results. The study shows that programs with the best performance reached almost equal levels to the best cardiologists. The study also shows that all can still be improved for one or more diagnostic categories, whereas some require general improvement