Palpitations V Afib

[Tellingfibs]

Hello everyone. I know some of you are pretty slick with your understanding of ECG readings and I am hoping you can help me with mine. I have had a Kardia device since being diagnosed with Afib in 2017. I find it reassuring when I am mildly worried and get NSR readings, but worrying when I get other readings Lol. I only take Warfarin and Bisoprolol, the latter having been increased over time so that I am now taking 5 mgs twice daily. It works for me, mainly because it keeps the dreaded Tachycardia at bay. However, lately I have been getting a couple of Afib results daily, when I usually get them a couple of times a week, if that. About two weeks ago we had a family upset and I am thinking that hasn’t helped, but my main puzzle is that my Kardia ECGs show a lot of PVCs and SVEs too. Some of my NSR readings look ( to me ! ) as crazy as the others. I am feeling ok, and certainly not having any Tachycardia thank goodness ! I just wondered what some of you feel about Kardia and it’s ECG recordings. My GP says that he thinks people depend on them too much and that we should go by how we feel, not what a device tells us we ought to be feeling ☺️. I think what I’m asking, in a very drawn out way ( sorry ! ) is : what exactly is the difference between Afib and the other erratic heartbeats ? How does Kardia differentiate ? Does Kardia get them mixed up even ? Thanks in advance, to my wonderful support team !

[BobD Volunteer]

Your GP sounds like a person ater my own heart as i often tell people to lock their kardia away and go on how they feel. They don't half ramp up anxiety and as we all know , anxiety and AF are common bedfellows.

One common problem is poor conditivity causing "artifacts" which look very odd. Using hand sanitiser before the kardia is recommended to ensure good contact. Dr Dave told me that many many years ago.

The device itself is set with limited options so will generally tell you if you have AF or maybe even " possible AF" or "unclassified". If you pay the subscription you can send readings off for analysis of course.

AF is just one of many arrhythmias but the most common. Ectopic or out of place beats are common too and prefectly normal in everybody. It can be irritation I know when they become frequent but they are benign.

To return to your GP I do suggest that you focus on living a good life rather than let a machine decide your mood.

[Tellingfibs in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob, I was hoping yours would be one of the responses I might get. My general belief is exactly what you have remarked upon, and as I feel ok generally, I am not too worried ( although I am naturally an anxious person ! 🙄 ). Probably, when I am going about my usual daily tasks, I am getting the same number of Afib episodes but as I am not thinking about them, I don’t check my Kardia. Now I am checking, more are being revealed, ergo : I will stop checking and then I won’t know about them ! 😂 The ‘benign’ palpitations are noticeable and are what are making me reach for my Kardia, but I will try and resist…. Thanks again Bob.

[Visitingcat]

Hi

I have been having similar problems to you lately. I’ve been on 50mg of flecainade (as well as bisoprolol, apixaban and BP meds) twice a day since being successfully cardioverted from dreadful symptomatic afib in 2018.It’s been great, just a few odd episodes but lately it’s coming through more and more to around weekly.

I take a kardia reading when I start to feel discomfort as I want to know what’s going on, lately it’s either afib or normal with, like yourself, PVCs and SVEs. They are both really uncomfortable, the bangs from the ectopics are horrible but are supposed to be benign. I will sometimes go in and out between ectopics and afib and back though and I think it’s my heart trying to go into afib.

The afib is around 130 bpm, the discomfort eases off after a while but causes bad breathlessness and stops me doing anything the bpm goes up to 160ish as soon as I move around.

The ectopics show as two points together then a long pause or short runs, I don’t think the kardia is confused as there are a lot of normal beats with p waves between them, do yours look like full on Afib?

I’ve had a few short runs of sawtooth like waves that one of the cardiologists said were flutter. I don’t think my kardia causes me any anxiety or I get obsessed with it, it just lets me know what’s going on and is great for showing to cardiology.

I have permission to take an extra hundred mg of flecainade a day if needed and usually one extra 50 added to my normal dose knocks me back to normal after an hour or so but I can see me having to go on a hundred twice a day soon. I’m going to hang on as long as I can before doing that as I think eventually it will stop working and I’ve been told I can’t have an ablation as I’m not suitable. 

[Tellingfibs in reply to Visitingcat]

It does sound similar to mine. What confuses me is that although the NSR readings are usually nice and even, sometimes they are a bit crazy too, and then I think the Kardia must be playing up. Naturally I’m pleased to get a NSR reading - but it makes me suspicious when it looks like a reading for Afib or benign palpitations. I’m functioning ok but when I get Afib, a kind of depression swoops down on me, so much so that I can almost tell if it’s Afib from that - I don’t really need the Kardia ! And goodness, am I fed up with the ‘unclassified’ results - so many, despite the use of hand gel, as suggested by some on this forum. I hope you are on an even keel soon.

[Visitingcat]

A lot of mine are crazy at the beginning, I think it’s just movement. When I take a reading I put the kardia on the back of my iPod touch that I use and grip it as firmly as I can, thumbs on the edges of the iPod and fingers pushing onto the kardia and rest it on my knees. It’s often crazy at first then settles.

I’ve just tried doing it my normal way and it was crazy at first then lovely steady rhythm but it just had to chuck in two ectopics before the end.

Then tried putting iPod on the table with kardia in front and just lightly touching which I thought may be better but no, still crazy then went into normal with sve’s, I can just about feel them, not banging hard like when it’s trying to go into afib, hope I’m not speaking to soon lol!