ectopics or extra beats.

[Fondant]

I have twice in the past converted to persistent AF which has been sorted both times by cardioversion. However yesterday for the entire day my heart felt like it was having a disco. Ectopics, extra beats, early or skipped beats…..whatever! Should I be worried? I do have a bit of a chesty cough at the moment so could that have anything to do with it? Everytime I did an ecg on my Apple Watch it showed major activity but still claimed sinus rhythm. Here is one of the ecg’s I did yesterday.

[Ppiman]

Sinus rhythm refers to the beat arising from the sinus (sino-atrial) node, which is what happens in health. Your ECG strip seems to show normal rhythm along with premature ectopic beats, which, I think are PACs. My Apple Watch also can call these "NSR" so I am rather confused, too.

Mine have more recently become troublesome and are a part of my AF issues, I am now told, which will eventually require ablation.

Steve

[CDreamer]

Yes it could have something to do with your cough. I often got that sort of reading when my heart was transitioning from AF to NSR or going out of rhythm. I had a lot for months following ablations.

Apple Watch can only determine AF or NSR - or if there are a lot of ectopics the algorithm cannot work it out so comes back unclassified, it will not diagnose ectopics. Kardia will come back with Ectopic Tachycardia or something similar if there are a lot of ectopics.

May I suggest that if you post a trace you remove or black out your name and date of birth.

[Ennasti]

They look like PACs. I currently have a bad cough and have just been tested for pneumonia. My arrythmias have been a lot worse since I fell ill and my lbbb is back from as low as 70 bpm. I’m convinced it’s because I’m not well.

[babs1234]

my AFib is always worse when I’m ill

[pusillanimous]

I read all these knowledgeable discussions about beats and rhythms and realise how ignorant I am. For example in my last report from the Cardiologist to my GP a few months ago the following extract read ' ECG confirmed sinus rhythm rate of 79 per minute with the occasional isolated extrasystoles only. On echo she has normal left ventricular function, normal valves, no left atrial enlargement and the right heart is normal with no evidence of pulmonary systolic pressure'. Although I've got a rough idea of what it means. what is an 'extrasystole'?