Hello! I have AFib that was diagnosed in July of 2024. I am a 50 year old male (49 at the time of AFib episode) I am on 50 mg of Metoprolol XL twice a day. I was on Amiodarone and Eliquis as well but the Electro Cardiologist doctor took me off these. He said the Amiodarone isn’t needed and if I need a heart rhythm drug there are safer options than Amiodarone which both my Cardiologist and Primary doctor agreed. Not sure why I was taken off these blood thinner. The Electro Cardiologist said I am too young and this sudden bought of AFib may have been a one off. I do live in the States so health care here is a joke, especially in Las Vegas ( Nevada in particular) . Secondly I’ve had a cold all week and seems like my heart has been beating fast/quivering but when I check my Apple Watch it doesn’t reflect this nor does it tell me I am in AFib. Can I rely on my Apple Watch for accuracy? Thank you in advance! Peter
questions AF/Apple Watch 10 - Atrial Fibrillati...
questions AF/Apple Watch 10
I was able to diagnose my Afib with my Apple Watch 4 but now find a Wellue device much more satisfactory. You can get a continuous monitor of your heart for 24 hours or more with a complete ECG readout which is then analysed by artificial intelligence to detect Afib, high and low heart rate Pacs and Pvcs etc.
In a word NO. I have had many occurrences where I can see the reading is all over the place, but it says NSR.
I also knew when I was in AF, but many times the Apple Watch said NSR. I also have a Kardia which is far more accurate.
Hi - firstly anti-coagulants - your age has some significance but is only one risk factor and you are still young so age -65 is the age when you score 1 on the CHADVASC algorithm which is what doctors use to assess your risk of stroke when you have AF.
Link CHADSVASC Calculation
mdcalc.com/calc/801/cha2ds2...
If you have a cold you will have inflammation in your body - this always seems to de-stabilise my heart so plenty of rest and fluids (warm water with lemon and ginger is good) When you over exert yourself when you have any sort of infection your will antagonise your heart which will get irritated. Your body is always more intelligent than you are so start listening to your heart and find what calms, be careful what you eat and avoid ALL processed foods - especially sodas.
My iWatch is very accurate but what are you reading? Heart Rate? What is your HR? Is your resting rate much higher than usual? EKG? Any signs of ectopics?
If you are looking for information, the more precise you can frame your question, the more likely you are to receive answers.
Best wishes
How fast is fast? And quivering? If you use the ECG function does its tracings show the quivering? Do you have AF History enabled or Irregular Rhythm alerts, or neither?
At work, my heart rate fluctuates between high 60’s- 115 but I am racing around three floors (I work in a department store) at home at rest my HR is 60’s -80. Quivering could be palpitations….. ECG says I’m in SR but I don’t know what tracings is ( could you help me understand). I have AFib history enabled. Which is better, AFib history or Irregular Rhythm? I appreciate the time you took to reply.
High 60s -115, while racing around 3 floors, sounds pretty normal to me but I'm no MD. When you feel that quivering you might want to use the ECG app and review a PDF of the tracings to see if the intervals change noticeably throughout the 30 sec timeline – which would indicate ectopic beats that you feel as quivering.
Used properly, I am perfectly certain the answer is near 100%. I have used two models of Apple Watch since 2019 and rate them very highly, as do many specialists and doctors. I wouldn't be without mine and would replace it tomorrow if I needed to. I also have tried various home ECGs over the years but place the Apple Watch as number one in so many ways, not least its instant availability, speed of use and, of course, its general usefulness. Others are Kardia, Wellue and the one I use regularly, the newer model Contec PM20 (also called Emay 6L).
The feelings you have, however, are likely palpitations, which are heartbeats that seem heavier and can be felt. Why this happens seems not to be known. I have them regularly. My own belief is that the feeling is from the heart valves closing with more force, for some reason. The valves closing are the only thing we can feel of the heart, by the way! There are no sensory nerves in the heart and we feel the valves only because they cause a ripple through the arteries which cause more surface sensory nerves to react. To my knowledge, no ECG will show these palpitations, although if they are caused by a slightly faster rate, that will show, and these can also feel "heavier".
Sometimes, however, the heavier pulse is from "ectopic premature" beats that cause a "thump" feeling. Ectopic means out of place because the beat arises from somewhere else in the heart other than the natural "pacemaker". Everyone has a few of these each day, but they can be more frequent in some (I have thousands on some days, I suppose). Again, they are harmless but, despite that, can raise anxiety a lot. They always show on an Apple Watch or other ECG as a beat (the big peak) coming earlier than it should, followed by a longer pause than usual.
But - yes, you can, for certain, rely on the Apple Watch.
Steve
I do ECG’s at least once a day per my Doctor and the watch says I’m in Sinus Rhythm each time. Maybe I worry too much and the anxiety gets the most of me! The only thing I worry about is that my last weeks report came back at 3%. I know that is minimal but do I wait for my Cardiology appointment or run to the emergency room? I thank you for your time and educated response!
The 3% figure means that some irregular beats have been detected on background checks that are occasionally carried out when at rest, it assumes this is AF Burden as you have a diagnosis of AF already. It does not confirm 100% that it was AF and is unlikely to represent the actual percentage of time you were having irregular beats but is an indication that you have had some. If no irregular beats are detected on the occasional background checks over the week then the result is “2% or less” As other replies have said it’s a great tool as long as you understand the limitations and anomalies. You may already know some of this and hopefully helps you and others reading.
Best wishes
Hi. By "3%" do you mean the AF burden measured by the Apple Watch? To accurately measure AF the Watch needs two contact points to be measured, i.e. the wrist and a finger. The AF burden app relies not on this but on the heart rate app which looks also for AF-like irregularity of the heart rhythm. This could be AF or it might also be runs of ectopic beats that create the semblance of AF and which the watch counts. Whilst 3% in a week doesn't sound much, if it all comes at once, it's a prolonged spell of AF. I've had 3% on my watch but I've switched it off as I prefer the watch to look for irregular rhythms - and it can't currently do both things.
Anxiety is at the heart (!) of many of our problems and can be crippling. It's a vicious circle, too, since it pushes the heart rate up and that makes the AF far worse and more symptomatic, too. Some in the US are prescribed Xanax to reduce the anxiety, but that comes with some real risks of dependency and rebound anxiety (I have read up to 30% if taken regularly).
Keep in mind though that for many of us, there's no need to be anxious (easily said, I know!). AF in itself won't cause us harm, even long term. It's when it causes persistent (long term) high heart rate that problems can lie ahead unless this is controlled. When the heart races for long periods, it reduces output and can, over time at least, lead to weakening of the ventricles (bottom heart chambers). That's why beta blockers or similar are first line treatment. Of course, for a minority with AF, the arrhythmia itself can reduce heart output, and bring the need for hospital treatment, or at least the need to lie down or risk fainting owing to reduced BP.
Steve
I have had two periods of AFib. Both times they were persistent and asymptomatic. The first was diagnosed by my cardiologist in his office for a regular visit. Both times I had a successful cardioversion and remained out of AFib for sometime.
The Apple watch has been FDA approved for AFib diagnosis, however as with most things it has its limitations. It is not a constant monitor, it samples over time. Therefore it may not pick up intermittent AFib unless it is occurring at the time the watch samples. You can initiate an AFib check particularly if you are having symptoms.
I bought my watch after my first episode of AFib. I went for about a year and a half without AFib as detected by my watch. I lived for every Monday morning to receive the AFib detected 2% of less message from my watch. I would also periodically manually check for AFib.
Then one morning I received the AFib detected message. My Dr. prescribed a wearable monitor to confirm and yes back in persistent AFib. After a few months another successful cardioversion and AFib free for about a year (according to my watch). I see my cardiology nurse practitioner next week for a check up.
For me my watch has been useful and helped me monitor and detect my AFib. I works well in my situation, asymptomatic and persistent AFib. It may not work for others since it does not consistently monitor for AFib. I would talk to your cardiologist about what type of monitoring would be the best in your case.
As an aside, I was on Eliquis during both episodes but came off Eliquis after the last episode. As I get older, currently 75yrs old, I find medical decisions are less about the most effective treatment for a particular disease and more about balancing treatments for multiple conditions.
I am also in a study of an Alzheimer's drug. One of the possible side effects of the drug is micro hemorrhages, particularly in the brain. I am monitored regularly for changes and issues. I prioritize Alzheimer's over the need to take Eliquis. I have talked this over with my EP and though it would not be his recommendation, he understands my position, reasoning and accepts my decision.
Thank you 🙏
I do ECG’s at least once a day per my Doctor and the watch says I’m in Sinus Rhythm each time. Maybe I worry too much and the anxiety gets the most of me! The only thing I worry about is that last week’s report came back at 3%. I know that is minimal but do I wait for my Cardiology appointment or run to the emergency room? I thank you for your time and educated response!
I am not a Dr nor attached to any medical field. I cannot provide medical advise. The decision to go the ER is one you would need to make. If you are experiencing symptoms then I would go to the ER.
However, I can talk about my experience and thoughts for what it is worth. 3% seems to be just barely above the 2% or less. Fortunately where I am (USA) for now we have a decent medical system. I can contact my Drs via a message system and ask questions. They usually respond by 2 business days. If you can I would advise my Dr. about the change. They may want to see you sooner or prescribe a wearable 24 hour monitor or possibly move your appointment sooner.
I’m in the U.S. too. I thank you for your suggestions and insight!! I will be calling my doctor Monday morning.
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