Apple watch Af detection

[papillone]

Hi

I understand that one can detect Af on the apple watch .please advise how to set to check this , also has anyone use the like FibriCheck app to check the Af.

Thank you

[Afibflipper]

Hello, I’ve been using Apple Watch Series 7 since 2022. I found it useful at first to do my own ECG as I knew I had AF & would always feel it happening so I’d record.

Last Oct ‘24 for the first time ever in 20 years of AF the watch was the first to alert me when I could not actually feel it happening.

If you go in the watch app on your phone go into the health app & select mirror my phone. Then go into the to the heart app, select what high & low heart rates you want to be notified of, then select irregular heart rhythm notification a to on. You can’t select this if the AF history is selected.

Make sure both your phone & your watch are up to date with the latest updates from Apple.

I also added the app ‘Heart Analyser’ which I find quite helpful as it plots information, compare heart trends so you can see perhaps when certain things happen and ask yourself were you doing anything different at the point something goes a little off kilter. Sorry for long reply but hope it’s useful

[papillone in reply to Afibflipper]

Hi Afibflipper

Thank you for your information and how to set it I will try to set it up on my apple watch 8

Will it give me warning in real time when I am in Af or I have to take an EGG

Thanks

[OzJames in reply to papillone]

It will give a real time alert. If you have a one off maybe for a few minutes and nothing else that day it may not alert you. It sets off a checking sequence when you are still through the day. I thought I was in AF me day but the watch only notified me about 4 hours later and upon checking the Heart App it showed the checks at 1.30 2pm 3pm etc…..I’ve found it very reliable. I also look at HRV and mine is normally between 15 to 80 through the day and an occasional 100 but when I see a rising trend 60 then 100 then 300 during the day I know I could flip into AF so take extra magnesium and occasionally a beta blocker

[papillone in reply to OzJames]

Hi OzJames

Thank you sharing your experience

I am trying the apple watch As you said its only tell me after few hours if I had crossover 100 bpm

Also it is interesting what you say about magnesium

I also tak Magnasuim glaciated

but I did not notice any difference .

I will double check it

Thanks

[OzJames in reply to papillone]

magnesium takes some time to build up in your system. I think it took me several months before I improved

[Hugheart in reply to OzJames]

Hi OzJames

Your observation about HRV is what i experience and when the interval stays within30 msec I know I am in sinus rhythm and when it starts looking like something on a stock exchange I know I am or have had AF. There are scientific articles supporting this pattern and for whatever reason cardiologists and EPs rarely mention it as a simple marker for AF. I cant remember if we communicated before but my protocol mentions it. My BIO explains more.

Hugheart, resident physician

[OzJames in reply to Hugheart]

Yes we’ve chatted it’s definitely a trend I’ve noticed over the last 3 years looking at each of my 4 episodes. Just prior it seems to be on a sharp incline. I went from a 24 hr period HRV between 15-45 then 6-7am goes up to 60 the 80 then just before Pilates to 100 then when I looked at HRV as I felt aware of heart it was 350. So in my view the over work at Pilates sent me into AF. As I go twice a week I now check to see the pattern and if it’s within my norm I go ahead if it’s in the rising pattern I cancel. One time when I canceled it went over 100 but I relaxed and eventually it went back within normal range. It’s not the one off spikes I get(150) as they drop to normal over the next little while it’s the steady rise I pay more attention too

[Hugheart in reply to OzJames]

Yes I recalled our earlier conversation.‘I’m thrilled to hear u r noticing the same observation.

Hugheart

[OzJames in reply to Hugheart]

I’ve discussed with my son who is a doctor too but in Critical care. He’s thinking it maybe an increased activity of ectopics which is thought to occasionally kick off AF

[Hugheart in reply to OzJames]

Has he observed this in other AF cases namely stock market pattern can indicate AF and relatively flat HRV indicative of SR.

Hugheart

[OzJames in reply to Hugheart]

no he’s not looked at it…in emergency and ICU they look at getting people out of trouble and stabilised. We were just chatting about my AF and HRV and he was thinking out loud as to what may cause my pattern of ascending HRV and he said it could be ectopics.

It’s hard to get the head around it….is it ‘the chicken before the egg’ thinking…. what causes my ectopics may not cause my AF but ectopics may cause my AF…….

[papillone in reply to OzJames]

Hi OzJames

i recall when I went to the A& E first time

They gave me almost 1 bag of magnesium citrate with beta blocker to bring my HR down from 200 bpm

So there must be link between Af HR with magnesium level in your body

Thanks

[OzJames in reply to papillone]

There is and you’ll find we AF people are often warned not to lose electrolytes as we can flip into AF

[papillone in reply to OzJames]

Thanks will carry on taking it even on google some advise not to take magnesium with the Af medication

[OzJames in reply to papillone]

My cardiologist said it was ok. When you take with AF medication he suggested to take supplements at least 2 hours before or after my AF meds so it does not interfere with absorption of AF meds. Other cardiologists may have a different viewpoint

[papillone in reply to OzJames]

Thanks

i appreciate usually keep 90 min offence

[Hugheart in reply to OzJames]

My thoughts are simpler . The HRV may be a canary to detect AF regardles of delving into its cause . Ectopy in its broadest definition is equivalent to electric impulse instability of which AF is an example. So in a sence you are right by your question of which comes first.

Hugheart

[papillone in reply to Hugheart]

Hi Hugheart

I have managed to set my apple watch 8 with iphone pro 15 Thanks to the forum help

Now another question to more experience members

Getting readings on apple watch

Af 47% while on AF HR 65-74 bpm

Af51% while not on Af HR 90-100 bpm

I thought it should be other around

I also confirm the RH by taking the plus

Any one has any explanation

please share it

thanks

[papillone in reply to Hugheart]

Hi Hugheart

Thank you for explaining this I thought that i when your HR goes it trigger the Af

As it first time with me last December I was a fit person no issues then I got infection my hear rate shot up to 200 and and left me with the flutter So here I am still suffering with it

[Lynden63 in reply to papillone]

I first got PAF when I had covid in 2022. Nothing again until December 2023 when I had completely overdone things (lack of sleep and helping family) and worn out. I got it again in 2024 when I gor covid again. Inflammation is a definite trigger. I take magnesium taurate as it is said to be goodxfor the heart, and magnesium glycinate to help me sleep at night.

[papillone in reply to Lynden63]

Hi Lyneden63

getting a good sleep is a major issue as do not fall asleep sleep easily So I take Magnasuim

so for it did not help me much

What time difference you have in between Af medication

[Lynden63 in reply to papillone]

Hi papillone, I am not currently on meds. I have been trying lifestyle changes first. I take magnesium taurate at breakfast and lunch, and high dose Vit C, vit D, nattokinase and ubiquinol (which is a property in CoQ10). I take magnesium glycinate at night. But I have found recently my heart seems to be trying to flick into afib more. I can usually stop it by taking a couple of huge breaths and slowly blowing out. A cardiologist I saw in April last year said to see my gp and get her to put me on Sotalol. He didn't explain anything about afib to me and what I read on google was pretty scary. But I am thinking I need to see my gp and get a referral to an EP to discuss everything. I know if I go on Sotalol (which I haven't wanted to), I'll have to adjust my supplements.

[papillone in reply to Lynden63]

hi that sounds s good that you manage to control your Af by life style Keep at it

I am limited by other Af medications

thanks

[Hugheart in reply to papillone]

Hi Papillone

I’m not sure I understood the data you described. But if you are saying you are experiencing AF 47% of the time that would be very significant to be proactive to request immediate attention.

Higheart

[papillone in reply to Hugheart]

Thank you

I am seeing the EP soon and getting Eco done

let’s see

[Afibflipper in reply to papillone]

It’s always in real-time but you decide when to take your ecg. It will react to probably quite a lot if it’s a new watch, I’m not sure it they get “like a base reading “ of how often it’s occurring initially as it will also flash to say it’s detected AF. It will then say if you are undiagnosed to seek medical advice. When you select high & low HR warnings it will flash saying high hr (this may be with/without af so I do ecg It won’t alert every af after a while as not only would it drive you mad if it’s a lot but drains battery

When I saw my EP I’d take some printed echa& he said the appeared quite accurate ( Gp never read them) it would also show on ecg - pauses, AF, high hr, etc. My watch also, in some ecg would read “inconclusive”. This turned out aún mine to be when the AFib was in AFlutter. You’ll get the hang of it. You will also be able to see from data (if you turned off the AF notifications (if it’s to annoying) then set history, over the month it self monitors the % of AF you’ve had vs NSR. I was 97% but now it says less than 2% ( know that I am actually 0%).

I have given you all this info purely so that hopefully you will then know what & why the watch is doing something. Initially they can make you a little neurotic. Use the watch just as a tool, a recorder of data against how you are feeling. AF can be very scary when newly diagnosed, especially if it also makes you very unwell. Others will actually not feel it hardly or at all but both can have the same amount of AF (all affected differently. If you feel anxious or have high HR, try meditation/mindfulness to slow breathing, HR etc. Best wishes to you 😊

[Crumbling]

hi there I use the Fibricheck app, I find it excellent, you do have to pay the monthly subscription of £5 but I think it’s well worth it.

[papillone in reply to Crumbling]

Hi Crumbling

Thank you I will check this out

regards

[papillone in reply to Crumbling]

Hi Crumbing

Thank you for your suggestion much appreciated

I am resetting the watch and will take your suggestion to see how my flutter is behaving

thanks again

[Buzby62]

If you put “Apple Watch” in the search bar at the top of this page you will find lots of previous post on this.

The only sure way to detect AF on the watch is by doing an ECG using the ECG app. From the background checks you might get a notification that your heart rate shows signs of irregular beats which may be AF. You can then confirm by doing an ECG. It won’t pick up all instances of AF/irregular beats and in my experience will miss short episodes all together.

Links

Take ECG support.apple.com/en-us/120278

HR monitor support.apple.com/en-us/120277

HR Notifications support.apple.com/en-us/120276

AF History support.apple.com/en-gb/108375

Best wishes

[papillone in reply to Buzby62]

Hi Buzby62

Thank you especially sending me the links

will read them