Hello Just a quick question on AF I have recently had my Bisoprolol increased from 7.5 mg up to 10mg. I noticed when taking my Blood Pressure my HR can be 30 and next time 60 bpm anyone know if that would be classed as AF, or does it need to go to 100+ to be classed as AF
Blood Pressure when at 30 bpm 117/52 at 63 bpm 111/56. Low has been 86/41 bpm 62 I will phone HF Nurse in the morning just wondering if this is AF ??
Regards
No idea about AF but a HR of 30 is way too low!! Do you have an ICD? Sorry, I know I should know that!!
Hello Lesley
No I don't have an ICD yet lol I still match all the criteria for one but Cardio is holding off for some reason. I have just wrote to my HF Nurse with my last 30 days readings I will e mail her in the morning. My Low for BP for Feb was 96/60 bpm 58 !! I think they hold off with a crtd because most of the time I am feeling OK and I don't panic, just Breathless episodes are now starting to be more frequent. Heart Monitor is booked for 6th March so I should know soon what's on the agenda next. I haven't had an Echo since the Intervention Cardiologist opened my already bypassed LAD but since then I have noticed my Diastolic reading have been lowish, just have to wait and see. I did wonder if moving between 30 and 60 bpm is classed as AF as I have never asked or been told. This all started again with a mad rush of Ectopics this is one hell of a long journey, but I don't want to get off the train just yet LOL.
Best Regards to Yourself and Kevin
I thought if your EF is 35 or below you're automatically a candidate for an ICD! BP 96/60 with HR of 58 isn't too bad, just recently Kevin's blood pressure was low 70's/40's, his nurse was really concerned so she stopped his Entresto. The nurse then spoke to a cardiologist who said go back on it as they like to treat aggressively with Entresto but to stop if he felt dizzy/faint etc fortunately his BP is now in the 90's/60's. I do know that when Kevin's HR starting dipping into the 40's it was a cause for concern and his ICD was adjusted to pace him at 50, which is why I asked if you had an ICD. Kevin's issues are VT's I really don't know anything about AF, there is an AF forum on HU that might be able to help. Those blooming ectopics have got a lot to answer for!! In the absence of a recent echo & as your breathlessness has increased, will they do a NT-proBNP blood test? Maybe worth asking about? You take care Frank, please let me know what your nurse decides to do. Meanwhile, no alcohol! save it for your better half, though I'll happily take a bottle of gin off you!!
Hello Prada47, I think the 30bpm is really too low my gp was concerned when mine was 49 and halved my bisoprolol, it's now at 59/60.I don't know enough about AF, my friend has been through a lot and has Afib, but she was really tachycardic each time hospital mentioned it I mean really high.
Hope the nurse can do something to help in the morning. Good luck 🤞
Hi Prada47,
What you describe is not AF. We all have variations in our average heart rate over the course of a day depending on what our bodies are doing at the time, but AF is a very specific type of heartbeat that varies from beat to beat.
AF presents itself as an irregularly irregular heartbeat, which is a randomly varying beat-to-beat interval with no repeating pattern. It is usually obvious on an ECG. I've attached a plot of my heart rate over a period of one minute - it's quite random! As you can see, my instantaneous heart rate varies from 45 to 100 but measured over the minute it was 72. I have persistent AF, but fortunately I'm symptom-free, so it doesn't bother me or stop me doing anything.
If you are at all concerned, check your pulse manually. If it feels regular (no matter at what rate) then you probably don't have AF. If it feels very irregular, like my plot, then you may well have AF.
AF can come and go briefly, can last for hours or days and, as in my case, can become permanent. It is often, but not always, accompanied by a high heart rate (well above 100) and many sufferers will be taking a beta blocker such as Bisoprolol to limit the rate and an anticogulant to guard against stroke.
I hope that this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Paul
Hi Paul
thanks for your reply
Currently I am on 10mg Bisoprolol trying to control my HR. I do have Heart Failure 38% EF which isn't to bad, approx 24% of my myocardium dosen't function and is beyond repair and my RAC, RCA not the RAC ( I don't think they would answer a call out lol ) is 100 % blocked and can't be stented. The swing from 30 to 60 is a new experience for me hence my query about AF. Irregular Regular is a phrase that takes a bit of getting your head around lol.
Regards
AF can be a fluttering heartbeat, a very strange sensation indeed, in my case of my heart racing as well. I had two bouts immediately post op, fortunately it was controlled with drugs, if it hadn't been they were going to do a cardioversion.
More recently my GP wanted to increase my Bisoprolol dose, I'm on the minimum, to help with my BP but when he found out my heart rate was dipping into the high 40's at rest he said that he couldn't increase the dose as my heart rate would then be too low. That is post OHS, I've had 2 x PCI, AVG and CABG. My EF pre surgery was 30% at best and is now an age normal 63%.
At an HR of 30 I'm surprised they aren't taking any action unless that 30 is transient.
I have paroxysmal Afib and my heart rate is 55 at rest. Occasionally my HR drops into the 40s when I am resting and can hit 125bpm when walking long distances. My cardiologist tells me I have Tachy/Brady syndrome and eventually may need a pacemaker. If I were you I would check that 30bpm on another reliable device as it is not unusual for home devices including apple watch etc to give unreliable readings. I would ask for a 24hour Holtor monitor which should let you know one way or the other. I can get my Holtor done privately and there is no wait. Cost me 290 euro last time so I would think about £250 total.
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