double whammy

[President2012]

I don’t post very often but some of you may know that I got a pacemaker last year and between February and December I have had only 3 AF episodes which is brilliant.

I went to a wedding at the beginning of the year and came home with a cough which turned into a bad flu and had to be hospitalised. Was discharged after ten days came home not feeling great to find I now have Covid.

my nose is stuffed with hard mucus and my GP gave me a spray which she said was ok for me. Used it for two days and now have a bad AFib. My problem is how do I know what my heart rate is. My Kardia says it is 140 BPM but I believe the Kardia is unreliable if you have a pacemaker. Trying to count by using my finger on the side of my neck is difficult because of the crazy rhythm. Any one got any ideas. 140 BPM is fast for me. Sorry for rant.

[mjames1]

You could try using a stethoscope which may make the beats more distinct.

You could then compare those numbers to the number of QRS complexes on the Kardia EKG. It's unclear from the literature, whether or not the Kardia EKG itself is not accurate if you have a pacemaker, or simply if they're automatic, determination is not accurate.

Jim

[President2012 in reply to mjames1]

Thanks. Most of my Kardia tracings are unreadable due to interference

[mjames1 in reply to President2012]

It does sound then like the pacemakers is confusing/interfering with the Kardia.

Jim

[President2012 in reply to mjames1]

Thought so

[Paulbounce]

Hi President

Regarding monitoring your heart rate with a pacemaker during an afib episode, I understand the concerns about the reliability of the Kardia. Check with your doctor. He/she might offer insights into the compatibility of monitoring devices and how to interpret the readings accurately,.

Have you considered using a pulse oximeter? This can provide real-time information about your heart rate and oxygen saturation levels, And yes 140 bpm is to high. If that carried on for any period of time it would be an A&E job for me.

Good luck with that covid. It knocks you for six but it will pass.

Paul

[President2012 in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks Paul. Sats are 98 but HR all over the place on the oximeter

[baba in reply to President2012]

Oximeter will not give accurate heart rate in AFib.

[President2012 in reply to baba]

Agree. Thanks

[Paulbounce]

Sure President. Moniters are like that - they are up one minute and down the next. I don't bother with them anymore TBH. I know when afib hit's - my body tells me.

Have a good day my friend and relax up until that covid passes.

Paul

[President2012 in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks.