Fear I may be joining your ‘club’ (-: AF indications on BP device. What’s next?

[Raylpa]

Hi all. I am 60, my history a Cardio stent in 2014 and recently told I have moderate aortic heart valve calcification. I keep fit and have no life style risk factors but I have a Genetic lipid condition, highly elevated lipoprotein (a). This triples my risk of stroke further development of CVD so a possible AF Issue too would be a great concern. Recently upgraded my old Omron to the intelli-sense which is frequently flashing AF. I do have a ‘first degree’ heart block which has always been dismissed as ‘just me’ since becoming apparent when I had the stent, wonder now if that was appropriate comment. Could the omron just me seeing my heart block and reporting it as AF? I have spoken to my GP who arrange a ECG which was clear and ‘that’s it’ however not confident given my history and risk factors. He didn’t know my lipid disorder existed.

Any comments greatly appreciated

[Physalis]

The trouble is that AF comes and goes and just because it wasn't there at the time the ECG was done doesn't mean that you don't have AF.

It might help if you bought a Kardia machine so that you could do your own ECG when the Omron was flashing AF. Or an Apple watch series 5 or 6 which monitors your heart rate and can do an ECG.

The Kardia is £99. The Apple watch from £360 and you need an iPhone, not necessarily the latest. There are other smart watches which do ECGs like the Withings ScanWatch at £250 which may suit you.

[Raylpa in reply to Physalis]

Thank you. I am looking online at the Kardia now.

[BobD Volunteer]

I trust you are on anticoagulants? If no AF has yet been discovered this will be a hard question to answer but I tend to misstrust most health gizmos unitl a proper ECG or a kardia/alivecor device has proved AF to be present.

[Raylpa in reply to BobD]

Hi Bob. Thanks for reply. I am taking 75 mg Aspirin following the the 2014 stent, that is the only anti clotting medicine I take. Are people with AF generally prescribed another? Given my Lipoprotein (a) condition clotting is already a significant risk factor.

[CDreamer in reply to Raylpa]

Aspirin is not an anticoagulant but an anti platelet. This may be prescribed because of your other conditions but worth flagging this issue with your doctors if/when you have a confirmed diagnosis of AF.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Raylpa]

As CDreamer has suggested aspirin is not an anticoagulant so pretty well useless for stroke prevention in AF. With you medical history maybe a good idea to discuss anticoaguation with your medical team.

[Physalis in reply to BobD]

In a way I find that a bit disappointing. I can assure you that the Apple watch produces a very good ECG. I wish I could show you.

In fact I think that the Kardia started off as a Kardia band with an Apple app but I might be wrong.

I didn't have a mobile phone until about three years ago. I got a Windows one so that I wouldn't get lost when out with a photography group, then an Android one for a Polar Heartband, and now the iPhone for the watch.

I've got a bit of catching up to do.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Physalis]

Alivecor which became kardia probably goes back 10 or even 12 years when I was given one for testing by AFA. Great for diagnosis but for me a bit counter-productive as I became obsessed with checking and only when the battery died did I get on with living. Still have it in a drawer somewhere but changed my phone so lost the app.

[Physalis in reply to BobD]

Oh dear, but you still refer to it as the gold standard. I think that the monitoring of my heart rate all day and every day was the most useful thing about the watch. I have a spreadsheet and I added, and still do, my heart rate every four hours. It only takes a couple of minutes a day. I'm still doing it even though I haven't had AF for three months now.

Up until the ablation I was doing an ECG every four hours so that I knew what was going on. Like the Kardia's ECG it gave me my average heart rate over 30 seconds. And it could be printed out and emailed to my doctor but I never did that.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Physalis]

Sorry too busy enjoying life for all that. I don't need a machine to tell me if things are a wry .

[Physalis in reply to BobD]

Yes, I think that's where we differ. Being relatively asymptomatic I did need a machine to tell me what was going on.

[David1958 in reply to Physalis]

I could not do anything when AF struck. My heart felt like it was trying to jump out of my chest. When that is going on, no question as to what to do. Go to the hospital now.

[Physalis in reply to David1958]

But I hope yours doesn't happen every two days and last for 24 to 30 h hours!

[David1958 in reply to Physalis]

No, that never happened. I went to the hospital and stayed overnight. Reverted back to sinus by morning. Scary ordeal while trying to wean me off IV. Ended up on Flecainide and Metoprolol. Minimum dosage. Side effects were driving me nuts. Over time there was every indication that either dosage would have to increase or ablation be done. I chose the ablation and have been AF free since then. Because I fly for a living the FAA required me to wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hours annually. Nothing very interesting there except for the low hear rate of 40 bpm in the wee hours of the morning. Now I do not even have to do that anymore.

[David1958 in reply to Physalis]

That would be too scary to contemplate. If that is what you contend with, I feel for you. When old sparky does not work the way it is supposed to is a real bummer.

[Physalis in reply to David1958]

Oh don't worry about me, I was relatively asymptomatic. The trouble was that I wasn't aware how often it was happening until I got the watch and could see what was going on.

I had an ablation in early July and since then nothing. The blanking period ends tomorrow! I'm glad yours worked too.

[Buffafly in reply to Physalis]

What technology does the Apple Watch use? Because if ‘green light’ it may look great but can’t be totally accurate? The beauty of Kardia is that it records electrical impulses so gives a better picture of electrical faults.

[Buffafly in reply to Buffafly]

Just looked it up, AF/HR warning uses optical sensor, ECG uses electrical sensor.

[Physalis in reply to Buffafly]

I'm not quite sure what you mean.

[Buffafly in reply to Physalis]

Green light or red light tech (optical) senses the change in colour in your capillaries eg oximeter, but is useless in AF because it only registers ‘normally strong’ beats. My watch uses optical tech and tells me my HR is 80 In AF when Kardia says 140, but is fairly accurate for tachycardia. Electrical tech senses the electrical impulses from your heart and counts all of them, even weak beats. That is what Kardia and Apple Watch ECG use.

[Physalis in reply to Buffafly]

Oh, I didn't know that, just that they were very inaccurate.

Incidentally, when I was recording an ECG in AF, I could see the hr estimate at the top changing all the time because it was irregular. Someone who just had tachycardia, a fast pulse, would see it staying constant.

Since my ablation I have been in sinus rhythm. However, I get the same sort of variation over the 30 seconds recording. I've just recorded an ECG and my pulse has varied from 62 to 80, average 71 and 57 to 69, average 70.

It says my heart rate variability is 20ms, yesterday it was 33ms. Will have to look it up!

I rather wonder if these are baby electrical signals that will, in time, develop into AFib. Hopefully not too soon.

[Physalis in reply to Buffafly]

Looks like it's not good!

[Buffafly in reply to Physalis]

Kardia used to report on HR variability because it is something athletes are interested in but it caused a lot of anxiety and confusion. I’m sure I read somewhere that it is better to have a more variable heart rate than a dead regular one, which is surprising. However I really didn’t understand the significance otherwise, good luck with looking it up - probably you will humiliate me by explaining it ☺️

[Physalis in reply to Buffafly]

No, it's just something that's interesting. As I said, I had thought that the variability was a sign of AF to come. But it isn't which I suppose is good. Where do you draw the line between a high HRV and AF?

I'll look it up. In the meantime here is something to go on.

whoop.com/thelocker/heart-r...

[Physalis in reply to Buffafly]

Yes, I got a wrist monitor first and that was totally inaccurate. I think that was green light too.

The ECG on my watch is 100% accurate. I know that because I can look at it and count the pulses. As far as I can see the ECG is just the same as the Kardia's.

The more expensive Kardia can give more information if you need it. I didn't because my AF was the common or garden type.

[Hidden]

Welcome, for starters can I suggest you take a look at the following post for “Newbies and Oldies” which will enable you to easily access some useful information about AF. An ECG is important for detecting AF but if your AF is not persistent then it is unlikely to show if you are not having an episode at the time the ECG is performed. Google Kardia and you will find details of an App which enables you to take an ECG using a smart phone anytime and most Doctors accept the reports it produces.

healthunlocked.com/afassoci.........

Hope this helps for starters. Although you are only 60, please pay particular attention to information relating to anticoagulation.

[Raylpa in reply to Hidden]

Your comments are greatly appreciated.

[Physalis in reply to Hidden]

For me it wasn't the ECG itself that was important just the chance to keep records every four hours when I was in AFib

[Mark_tourguide]

Hi Raylpa,

I was especially interested that you mentioned ‘aortic heart valve’ complications - as that’s me! Is it faulty or just ‘calcified’? (Mine is faulty and I’m being ‘monitored’ ).

Maybe that IS faulty. Still a bit new at this(!].

FWIW I use the Cardio app on my I phone (and a few others) and it seemed accurate as I did it yesterday then went to hospital for an ECG same morning, and neither recorded any arrhythmia or AF (although both have previously shortly afterward I left hospital after Stroke treatment!).

I’m certain I’m not AF free though (!) (which of us is?!). And the responses and support on this site have been great -

although still looking specifically for information and experiences of ‘aortic valve regurgitation’.

Thanks

M

[Buffafly in reply to Mark_tourguide]

British Heart Foundation website or forum is the place for that 💜