Fitbit recommendation

[Samazeuilh2]

Which is the best Fitbit for monitoring AF and (preferably) ectopics?

[Afib12345]

I have a Fitbit Charge 4 which monitors for afib when you are not moving for a prolonged period i.e. when you are asleep. It doesn’t monitor ectopics.

[DevonHubby1]

I don't think any fitbit monitors for AF if you already have AF. We have charge 6's. It will on request do a single lead ECG and tell you if you're in AF or NSR. It can also use data gathered during sleep to warn if you have undiagnosed AF. My wife has persistent AF, I have no AF. Neither of us have received this AF warning .

[Dudtbin]

I have the charge 5 which has an ecg function, not sure how accurate it is. I wear it mainly to keep an eye on heart rate .

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Dudtbin]

I have Kardia so I’m ok for taking ECGs. Does the Charge 5 monitor when asleep?

[Dudtbin in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Yes , I haven’t been in af since having this watch but the charge 4 i had before did tell me in the mornings the times and heart rate. I was a dog walker so started getting Fitbit to know how far and how long id been walking.

[Rogerafib in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Yes

[Thomas45]

Why do you need to know when you are in AF?

[Rainfern in reply to Thomas45]

I think this warrants a separate post 😊

[momist]

Just a note on Fitbit and similar technology. When you are in AF, there are going to be some heart beats when the chambers of the heart have not refilled with blood, and these will be missed as they do not generate a pulse of blood pressure to be detected. Also, most of them will use an algorithm to filter out irregularities in the readings, and looking for a _regular_ pulse to measure, so they get confused by AF. Only devices with electrodes to connect to two separated points on the body can measure the heart electrical activity to give a proper reading of AF. Those which do so usually only measure on demand and involve using both hands

[Mugsy15]

I have the Sense 2. It is at the top of the Fitbit range but does not monitor the wearer for AF or indeed any arrythmia. You can sit down and take a one-minute reading, which is very good at identifying either NSR or AF, but useless for anything in between. So SVT, SVE, PAC, PVC etc etc are all reported as 'inconclusive'.

[Dodie117]

I have the very basic inspire2 which monitors for AF when asleep. I find it good as I was wondering if I was having any episodes whilst sleeping. It has picked up episodes on 3 occasions and gives detailed reports. Not ecg. As I was still in AF on waking I confirmed with Kardia.

When setting it up you have to say you do not have AF!!

This from US FDA

April 12, 2022

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

* On April 8, the FDA cleared Fitbit’s Irregular Rhythm Notifications software intended to be used with certain wrist-worn consumer products to analyze pulse rate data and identify episodes of irregular heart rhythms that may suggest possible atrial fibrillation. Fitbit’s Irregular Rhythm Notifications software is designed to notify the user when an irregular heart rhythm occurs while the user is not moving. It is intended for over-the-counter use. It is not intended to diagnose or treat atrial fibrillation; for use in people under 22 years of age; or for use in individuals previously diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Dodie117]

It’s monitoring when asleep I’m mostly interested in. Does it just indicate a generic arrhythmia has been detected?

[Dodie117 in reply to Samazeuilh2]

says 92% accurate. I find it useful and the inspire2 was only £50 from Amazon

Photo of part of report. My understanding is that it only looks for AF

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Dodie117]

Thanks. This model would probably be ok. Do you need to connect it to phone GPS at night?

[Dodie117 in reply to Samazeuilh2]

No. When setting it up you connect to phone via Bluetooth. It’s connected all the time so does the other stuff trackers do - monitors sleep, steps, exercise routines etc.

I thought it was worth 40/50£ and if no good at least had not spent a lot in it. Pleasantly surprised.

[femalegannet in reply to Samazeuilh2]

mine is inspire 2 same as Dodie117 and yes it says it 'may' be AF. I happened to have an episode during night whilst wearing a Holter and fitbit picked it up . Having a fitbit alerted me to the fact that I had a high HR when walking across room which led me on the journey ! I hadn't noticed !

[MaryCa]

Charge 5, I got it recently delivered for €116. I Take co enzyme Q10 for ectopics, it literally 99% got rid of mine

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to MaryCa]

The Q10 enzyme sounds interesting. Is there a particular brand or dosage which you take?

[MaryCa in reply to Samazeuilh2]

I buy a German brand through amazon.de. 200mg. I didn't have time earlier to put more info. Loads on research on google scholar about afib and Q10 and the correlation between afib and inflammation. I was getting loads of ectopics post ablation in Feb/Mar. Wasn't afib. But very annoying. A man in the American FB page recommended Q10 and my CRP bloods have always been elevated so I thought it was worth a try. The force of them was much reduced in three days! Now I feel the odd few, usually due to stress. But the difference is amazing.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to MaryCa]

Thanks. I read that it might interact with anticoagulants. Have you heard anything about this?

[MaryCa in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Only with warfarin. There are a few on here who are taking it on warfarin but monitor their own INR. I'm on Xarelto (rivaroxaban) so my pharmacist said it was perfectly safe.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to MaryCa]

Many thanks for this information. I’m definitely going to try some of this Q10!

[Murdy1]

I see you have had lots of advice and opinions with your query which this site is great for!I'd love to know if there is a watch to read heart rate and blood pressure? I suffer from Syncope when I try to do strenuous work which we all need to do from time to time. Thanks in advance my afib friends.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Murdy1]

There is a watch for heart rate but not, so far as I know, one for blood pressure. I don’t think a watch could measure blood pressure. The nearest thing would be a wrist blood pressure monitor, but that is not continuous.