Fibricheck!?!

[Omniscient1]

Ok team, this advert popped up in my Twitter feed yesterday. I downloaded the app and it leads you to pay about £6/month to use it. I abandoned it and didn't go further. But, if you see the ad it claims 25% of all strokes are due to AF. Not seen that before, can anyone verify it?

[CDreamer]

Don’t know the latest stats but sounds around the mark last time I looked. Stroke is biggest risk factor for us AF’ers.

[BobD Volunteer]

Quite possibly correct. I have always worked on the 20/80 rule. i e 20% of strokes are AF related but account for 80% of the least recoverable ones.

Reason is obvious when you stop and think. Any clot formed in the heart is able to be larger than anything that could form in an artery so will block much more area.

[Omniscient1 in reply to BobD]

BobD and CDreamer, thanks, I knew of the risk, and as I often say to newbies the NHS sees AF as a stroke issue not a heart issue IMHO. But I had never looked at the numbers and was not aware it was that big. There are 100,000 Strokes a year (UK) according to the Stroke Association (so 20% of that)

[CDreamer in reply to Omniscient1]

Too many could be avoided.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to CDreamer]

Way back in 2008 I was told that if more at risk people were anticoagulated we could stop 8000 of the least recoverable strokes a year and I'm sure that statistc is at least as bad today.

[Ppiman]

I haven't seen that, but I imagine "silent AF" is the cause of many strokes, with the stroke being the first thing known about rather than the AF? Also, some patients have a far higher initial risk, measured by their personal CHA2DS2-VASc score.

I'm currently paying £5.00 per month to Kardia for their "advanced determinations" but will be stopping soon as it seems less useful than I thought. Unlike the app, it does create a professional-level ECG scan that can be sent to a doctor for analysis.

I did find this article of interest:

aerjournal.com/articles/res...

Steve

[Omniscient1 in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks for the link

[Ppiman in reply to Omniscient1]

I forgot to say thanks for your post which sent me searching the dear old internet! It does seem that the individual’s Chads score is by far and away the most important thing:

mdcalc.com/cha2ds2-vasc-sco...

Steve

[Hidden]

The statistics sound just about right Omniscient1. Stroke is the biggest risk factor of AF which is why so many of us with AF are on anti-coagulant medications to help prevent that. I too have had fibricheck flag up on devices, usually after I've used one of those phone apps which will give you a quick heart rate read out. If it detects arrhythmia, sure enough up pops the fibricheck ad. I've never ever seen this reviewed with regard to its accuracy and it could well be just an easy way to spend £6 a month for very little, so I'm sure you were right to not consider it.

[Omniscient1 in reply to Hidden]

I have permanent AF, I'm not sure what I would benefit from such a device?

[Hidden in reply to Omniscient1]

I believe its helpfulness to you would be nil Omniscient1! It's an untried tool supposed to assist with the diagnosis of AF. You already know you are in permanent AF so you have nothing to gain. But you'd incur a financial loss of £72 annually!

[Omniscient1 in reply to Hidden]

I thought so. The money's better off in my bank than theirs.Gary

[Mattq]

I use the Fibricheck app on my phone. It does what it says it does, basic ECG, review by a human as requested, compiles monthly reports. It helps to give me peace of mind and it flags up any reasonable changes for a few pence a day. Interesting to monitor before and S after my Cardioversion. No brainer in my view for me.

[baba in reply to Mattq]

I found it completely inaccurate.