I’ve just had my first episode of PAF -4 days of delightfulness over the Christmas weekend!! I managed to get to GP on Friday with an ECG and started medication. I did end up in ED on Xmas eve and have medications increased and by Boxing Day reverted to sinus.
I have a Kardia mobile but wondering if a Fitbit/smart watch is worth the cost Iam not sure I want an all singing /dancing smart watch for text/calls and Iam not after something that detects AF with an alert . But I would like something that allows me to check rate /rhythm when out and about when perhaps the Kardia is a tad more restrictive to use . (Think Kardia is brilliant btw)
Does anyone have experience of a more wearable HR device ? Thoughts welcome and thank you for your time
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I also have the Kardia, but I use the Apple Watch more simply for convenience. You just put your finger on the crown and you can generate an EKG. It also has some AF tracking features.
Thanks. My cardiologist kept suggesting an apple watch but I am completely android based. I have a Garmin (without ecg functionality) which I only need to charge about once a week. I suppose I will eventually look into getting a different Garmin that has the ecg functionality.
I’d really recommend the Kardia mobile ! It’s android or Apple happy ! Small easy to use and it is portable. I know for me though I’d like it to be wearable and then unlikely to forget it!!
Thank you. I ordered it yesterday. In my head, I can't justify the price for another Garmin yet, but that is what I will get eventually. I actually have a Samsung watch with ECG functionality, but it sits in a drawer because a watch that has to be charged almost every day is downright irritating (I was spoiled by Garmin😏).
I have a Huawei watch GT3 pro, it has ECG function and the battery life is amazing. I charge mine once a week but it can go for longer depending on screen brightness etc.
I love my iwatch. Recommended by my EP and bought as compensation for having to put up with persistent AF. Very quick and simple to check HR and AF. I use it to monitor sleep too but ignore most of the bells and whistles. Since my EP successfully fenced off the rogue AF cells with an ablation I watch the 140 clever animations on the Snoopy watch face more than I watch my HR - both of which could be classed as obsessive.
It’s the Apple Watch for me, without which I would never have got diagnosed. I’ve recorded over 40 episodes in 3 years on my watch and only ever captured AF once officially at GP surgery and that was to confirm an episode identified by the watch.
My guess is to have the ECG function on a wearable device it will be a higher end device and come with all the other singing and dancing tricks and toys.
Thank you, the Kardia is great for that , but not when out on the bike! I am wondering about the Fitbit sense which has an ECG function, but will look at Apple
I think the technology used is the same and their limitations. The optical sensors are more of an indicator taking background HR checks and the electrical sensors for ECG are more accurate but you have to do them manually.
Kardia diognosed my atrial fibrillation but I have always used fitbit watches. I'm using fitbit versa 3 at the moment I have had the fitbit sense but didn't like the ECG function its not as accurate as the as the kardia and they exchanged it for a versa 3 though I turn off the afib function because as I'm permanent af I didn't like all that info s,,,o I recommend fitbit Versa 3 Apple is overrated
Can I just get this straight in my mind? You had your first bout of AF on Friday 22 December 2023, and you already have a Kardia. Does AF run in your family?I am unable to understand why you want to know your rate and rhythm when out an about, such as cycling. Unless your AF is asymptomatic you will feel your rate and rhythm while out cycling, whether you're in normal sinus rhythm or in symptomatic AF. Why waste money on gadgets to tell you?
I'm in permanent, though asymptomatic AF. Even though it's asymptomatic, I expect it to be beating faster, having been up and downstairs three times in the last 30 minutes. During the many years when I had paroxysmal AF I knew when it was uncomfortable, and would take appropriate action.
It means that I cannot feel any symptoms. My heart is in AF all the time. I had about 22 years of paroxsmal AF before it became permanent, but there was no defining moment when it went from one to the other, as I am unable to feel it.
Oh, I see. I would really, really appreciate being like that when the lub-dub changes to something chaotic, rather than obsessively and anxiously focusing on it.
yep a friends Kardia came in helpful to allow me to know my breathlessness was AF and not “just” post covid.
I would like to know if any ongoing breathlessness is the return of AF (my palpitations not that outstanding) . The Kardia is great but fiddly - when in public .
Wont be checking my HR whilst on the bike, and out and about for me includes social activities too . Just feel for me a mobile device will give me an element of reassurance and understanding of symptoms.
So sorry AF announced itself over the festive period. And welcome to the forum!Many of us appreciate that sense of reassurance from a device - others prefer to not think about it. I'm in the former category.
As to physical indicators sometimes it's breathlessness, or a sense of something fluttering in your chest, or even a thumping, sometimes you might feel a bit nauseous and light headed. Hopefully not all of these together though.
In time you'll learn your own internal physical signs and then the checking will help you decide what you'd like to do. All if us will have different ways of managing - part of your journey will be to discover what works best for you. And people are are happy to help.
I have a Fitbit Charge 5 that records your heart rate and afib. For the past year I've also been using a Kardia. 3 weeks I had the WMM and have a Linq II recorder which let's the doctor remotely read my EKG.
I have Withings Scanwatch, which has up to 30 day battery life. I only bought for ECG function while I am out and about i.e. if I feel some flutters then I use it to check whether AF episode. My HR is often a good indicator (significantly elevated and not exercising) but since I started Metoprolol I can be in AF with just a slightly elevated HR. I have a Kardia 6L as well, which is more reliable than my Scanwatch but I don't cart it around in my daily travels. That's where the Scanwatch comes in. I put on charge when I shower each night and it's 100% charged by the time I am dressed as really only topping up. My wife has Apple watch, which needs significant charge every day and on a bad day runs out of charge. If you turn off some of the bells and whistles you could extend its life. If you are not planning to use to make/receive calls/texts i.e. like a standalone phone, then you'll only need the Apple Watch GPS version, which is a lot cheaper than GPS +cellular.
I got the Fitbit Sense because I don't have an iPhone, and I wanted something to monitor for afib during sleep. It's supposed to give you a notification on your phone if you have an arrythmia during sleep. Recently that function stopped working, when I check for notifications it gives only a blank page, which I can't get out if without re-starting the phone. Checking online, apparently this is a problem that's developed with the Sebse, and Fitbit has not found a solution. They are supposed to be working on finding one. But it's very disappointing, as the arrythmia notification is the only reason I bought the Fitbit. I have a Kardia for EKG.
I have an Apple watch and I’ve never made a call on it - honestly, it does so much more and you can track fitness, running etc very well on it. I wouldn’t dismiss it & It might just be worth looking into that too? It’s very reliable too.
I use an Apple Watch and it has its limitations. First of all you need to charge it probably daily or every other day which means having it off your wrist for a roughly 8 hours per charge. But the biggest limitation is I see it is it if your heart rate is over 150 it will not tell you whether you’re in a fib or not your heart rate has to be under150 to do that.
Gosh 8 hours? Mine charges in about 40 minutes. Unless I’ve let it go completely dead in which case it takes longer. I do charge it daily though, but I don’t find that onerous. I didn’t know about the high rate limitations though, that’s interesting. Maybe it would pick it up as the heart escalates? Certainly my peak was 157 when it recorded AFib.
Hi again, the fitbit sense 2 was great as a fitness tracker and as a heartrate tracker. gave me notification of heart rate, Afib and sleep patterns etc, just stopped syncing with my phones and iPad.
I agree, I have my phone and watch chargers plugged in to a timer overnight that comes on at 4am, both are usually 100% by 6am. Leaving things on charge for hours at 100% is not good for battery health or battery life.
PS: Old Apple chargers too, not the new fast chargers.
I too can charge my apple watch a lot quicker than 8 hours 😳 1 hr approx. It sounds like it may have a problem? My watch is over three years old and is a series 5. Mine also tells me I’m in Afib when my HR is in the 180s. I think you might need to look at your settings, as it sounds like something isn’t right?
Whats the point of that having to charge an apple watch every day then not telling you if your in afib if it goes over 150. You should go for the versa 2 if you dont want all the bells and whistles it keeps its charge for days my husband uses it.
Also I use cardiogram along with the versa it's an app you download works with Apple as well
I only charge the Withings probably once a month. Fed up with having to charge gizmo's. I find in the morning laying in bed and I feel OK but not quite sure I check with the watch to confirm. As long as your heart rate is over 50 from memory. Mine is usually below 50 in the morning so I get up and move around a littleCounts steps and activities. I surf while I am wearing it.
I use frontier x chest strap that syncs with my phone and watch. The watch I have doesn’t do ecg. The advantage is that it will record for up to 24 hours between charges. Then you can look at the rhythm over that period. So you can wear it when sleeping, cycling, running, sleeping. It claims to work while swimming but it loses connection. The disadvantages are that it won’t alert you to the AF, you have to look at the trace afterwards (the software just alerts you to ‘other’ rhythm) and recognise it yourself - quite easy with a bit of practise. Also it is expensive. I believe the wellue does a continuous trace and diagnosis. Similarly expensive.
As an alternative to a device, I have the Fibricheck app on my phone. You can take a reading anywhere with just your finger on the phone camera. I do have a Kardia which I leave at home, and have rarely used because I was in constant AFib for almost a year and am now in nsr following an ablation 5 weeks ago.
I use something very similar (cardiograph) on my very modestly priced android phone and find it interesting to periodically check the "friskyness" of my persistent afib. Records can be saved to get a feel for changes over time. I'm totally ignorant about the workings of the kardia but it's claims to being an ecg monitor seem likely to be a trifle overstated given that the monitor is checking fingers rather than the heart itself. More likely, it is measuring the resistance between the fingers which will vary with the blood flow (i.e. the pulse).
The free apps for use with a mobile use the varying light received by the camera lens as the blood pulses to create a graphic representation of the heart beating.
Always happy to be wrong but the Scrooge in me would take some convincing that one is significantly better than the other.
"I'm totally ignorant about the workings of the kardia but it's claims to being an ecg monitor seem likely to be a trifle overstated given that the monitor is checking fingers rather than the heart itself."Have you ever had a ECG?
The kardia I have is the basic one, and gives a rhythm strip - adequate for knowing AF or not. ( there’s another one which does more of an ecg and need three skin contacts.
Yes I have had several 12 lead ECGs on the day it started and on my ED attendance. It’s the magic of science ( fairly old science in terms of the ECG which has been a round since the 20’s but still checks the heart with leads on your skin)
I use my Withings, oxygen Sat's are useful as well as the ECG it syncs all the information to my app so GP can see it if needed. Also now records a live ecg on the app for you.
i have Fitbit charge 5 and like it. I only use it to check steps and heart rate. It did tell me my heart rate went very low the other night. Although i woke up this morning and it said i had done 19 steps already - as far as i was aware I hadn’t moved all night 😂
I use the Fitbit Charger to do exactly what you need - it’s so small neat and smart looking - it has all we need on a daily basis - heart rate and an ECG if you feel you need one - I also monitor sleep patterns with it - it’s important to not become obsessed with every heart beat - I went through years of monitoring every missed beat - the Kardia is a fabulous second line of defence when needed- Best wishes for 2024
I've heard many good reports of the Apple watch, but like you don't want the hassle of charging it daily or committing entirely to the iOS world. I had a Withings watch which was great, but did not live up to the advertised battery life, and was cheaply constructed.
Please be aware of the difference between pulse monitor and EKG function. Many 'watches' can monitor your pulse, by detecting the tiny colour changes of the skin under the watch when your heart pumps the blood vessels taut with pressure during a heart beat. The problem is that when you are in AF, the beats don't come regularly and can evade the algorithm which detects them, and the heart often beats while not filled with blood and there is no resulting pulse to detect. An EKG however will measure the electrical activity of your heart, but this generally needs two points of contact, usually both arms, or rather an arm and the opposite hand. The smart watches use this method, the same as your Kardia, and the test has to be initiated. The better Fitbit type devices can detect AF and tell you about it, but they cannot do a proper EKG without the same system being instigated.
I have the Fitbit Charge 5 and like it! Small and completely configurable for what you want to and not want to see and hear. Very accurate for heart bpm when comparing to the MD's EKG. The ECG function of the watch is accurate enough also.
I have the Kardia device also but depend on my Fitbit for instant feedback throughout the day.
Battery stays charged for average of 3-4 days of use.
I have a FitBitSense that I wear. Considerably cheaper than an Apple Watch, lacking most of the bells and whistles which I don't need. Seems to do an admirable job of measuring and tracking heart rate-some of the other features are spotty, although the "step counting" is reliable and useful. It does what I want it to do.....and tells time too! Check it out.
If you're a serious bike rider and don't mind digging a little deeper into your pocket, look into the Apple Watch Ultra 2 model. Rugged, waterproof. almost drop proof, big screen and other bells and whistles for the outdoor sportsman or woman. And of course the EKG feature. 😄
I used a Fitbit charge 5. Very pleased…. Charge lasts 5 days or more. I reboot it at every charge and have had no problems with the issue of it stopping occasionally as mentioned here.
As you have a Kardia and you have reservations about having a smart watch then maybe just learning to take your pulse when out and about will be sufficient for you. I don’t need my watch to tell me if I’m in AF, which in general it won’t without running an ECG check anyway, I know from taking my own pulse.
There are lots of resources on the following link for Know Your Pulse
I like gizmos and recommend them But i also am one who knows pretty quickly when Afib hits..i know others who don't, which has always surprised me. Anyway, Fitbits are the cheapest with wearable ecg and are great devices for basic health and activity. A step up are Apple watch and Samsung watches, and then, for me, the best if you also want sport functionality and battery life is Garmin, which finally now has a few models with ECG functionality. What I'm using most lately, as I'm a few months post ablation, is my Wellue 24 hr chest strap. Not perfect but allows monitoring all day/at sleep.
I’m delighted with my Apple Watch , was told to get one from my cardiologist as we couldn’t catch my PAF ! He believed me but wanted evidence. My watch has picked up 2small episodes since I’ve had it and I’ve got an ECG print as evidence with a time stamp. I’d highly recommend. Ps welcome to the group, it’s so supportive and lots of useful information on here as well .
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But i also am one who knows pretty quickly when Afib hits..i know others who don't, which has always surprised me. Anyway, Fitbits are the cheapest with wearable ecg and are great devices for basic health and activity. A step up are Apple watch and Samsung watches, and then, for me, the best if you also want sport functionality and battery life is Garmin, which finally now has a few models with ECG functionality. What I'm using most lately, as I'm a few months post ablation, is my Wellue 24 hr chest strap. Not perfect but allows monitoring all day/at sleep. 
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