ecg tips

[Harefieldfan]

Are there any tutorials on how to read an ecg? Apple Watch doesn’t check for heart attacks but what does it check for besides atrial fibrillation? I’d love to know what all the squiggles mean!

Thanks

[Britomartis29]

Does this help?

geekymedics.com/how-to-read...

Good luck! Not sure about Apple Watch.

[Harefieldfan in reply to Britomartis29]

wow! Thank you.

[Britomartis29 in reply to Harefieldfan]

most welcome!

[Tos92]

Hi    Harefieldfan

I hope you’re well.

I have an Apple Watch as well. A part from AFib, it can also check your blood oxygen, give you notifications when your heart rate is too high or too low, records your steps, HRV (heart rate variability), workouts and more.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t offer advice on how to read ECGs. There are a few members that are more knowledgeable in this area. I will tag    Hidden . Although he maybe limited in terms of the advice he can give due to forum guidelines, he does have knowledge on how to interpret them and can maybe point you in the right direction.

All the best.

Tos

[Harefieldfan in reply to Tos92]

thanks.

[Harefieldfan]

thank you.

[Captain_Birdseye]

If you're so inclined, there's a subreddit called read my ECG on reddit - you can post images of your ecg and someone interpretes it for you

They may also have an app by the same name...

[Harefieldfan]

thanks!!

[Tos92]

I’ve also been advised by my cardiologist to do an ECG on my watch when I feel like I’m having palpitations or an abnormal heart rhythm as my holter’s have never been able to catch them. Though it is very hard to catch a coronary spasm.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tos92]

The only time I have had ST elevations, depressions or T wave inversions recorded during an episode of coronary vasospasms, is by a 12 lead ECG in hospital.

When I have had arrthymias, I feel my pulse at my wrist. You can feel the strength of the pulse not just the rhythm.

I actually picked up my husband's atrial fibrillation by taking his pulse. Later confirmed by ECG.

[Tos92 in reply to Milkfairy]

I’m not sure if my watch is the best to catch spasms, I’m doubtful it is designed to do that but I believe it to be good indicator if there is something going wrong with my heart rhythm to present to my cardiologist.

My pulse is feeble on my right wrist, so I could perhaps check on my left wrist.

[Captain_Birdseye]

qaly.co/

All ECGs read by trained cardiographic technicians apparently.

[AndrewT]

Dear Harefieldfan,

I don't know much, or indeed Anything, about 'Apple Watches'- is this a 'Gadget?'. However I'm sure that there must be some, General Guidance/ Overview Content/ Tutorials available On Line. I can, after some years 'Practice', Just About 'Read' one- I say Just About, NOT very Confidently.

Can you perhaps 'Ask', your Consultant/ Doctors about this? Sorry that I can't be any more Direct help, my friend.

AndrewT

[Cat04]

Not sure if I'm even allowed to suggest this any more on this forum but try

ecgwaves.com/

[Drummer20]

Hi,I’m a retired nurse and can recognise some abnormalities on ECGs but my own experience is that it can make you feel more unnecessarily anxious if you try to diagnose yourself with readings from home equipment.The ECG at the hospital is a twelve lead ECG and the reading is checked by an experienced Doctor before any decision is made.I was told mine can look worrying but it isn’t.

[Echo24uk]

if it helps any my Apple Watch ecg showed same as always whilst hooked up to a 12 lead at hospital that showed ecg changes

There are a few tutorials online that show you how to take a 12 lead with and Apple Watch however it’s never going to be as accurate as the real thing

It can become a comfort blanket but just be careful I would say !

[sturon]

I can offer you some limited explanation of the ‘squiggles.

Your watch records essentially a one-line ECG. In a full ECG there are 12 lines. The waves you will see (if it is normal) are called the P, Q, R, S, T waves. The waves are measuring the electrical impulse as it passes through the heart making the heat muscles contract and pump blood to the lungs and the rest of your body.

The first blip, or wave, is the P wave and shows that the two top chambers (atria) have contracted emptying blood into the two lower chambers of your heart. After the P wave there is a short flat line, this is when the electrical pulse is stored for a shot time to allow the atria to empty.

The next set of waves Q, R, S measure the activity as your two bottom chambers empties the right one pumping blood to your lungs, and the left ventricle pumping blood out into the rest of your body.

The last wave is called T and is when the heart is ‘recharging’ ready for the next cycle.

By no means is this a full, detailed, explanation but I hope it helps you understand the squiggles a little.

[Smitty1956 in reply to sturon]

That was a lovely explanation! I am going to try looking at the ECG on my watch with this information. Maybe it will help me understand it better.

For diagnostic issues, I will trust the doctors 😊.

Have a lovely day!

[juanitamc]

I found this books quite interesting is about ECG's

amazon.co.uk/gp/product/047...

amazon.co.uk/ECG-Made-Easy-...

[Maxspencer]

I have suffered what I believed to be ectopic beats since I was about 16. The only time these were ever caught on an ECG were when they wouldn't stop for over an hour and so I went to hospital in Spain. That was 8 years ago. The on duty doctor said these were harmless but I never got to see the ECG itself. After this event, I never quite settled at night, always concerned that the bad beats could return at any moment. Also, given the language barrier, there was no detailed explanation of what was occurring with my heart.

Recently, because I had started getting rather alarming irregular beats while exercising, I purchased a Frontier X2 as I could take a full ECG with the chest strap device (equates to full ECG lead 5, I believe) of up to 24 hours. I took many ECGs during exercise and once overnight and came up with a number of examples of my arrhythmias which I took with me to see my cardiologist. He was able to explain all of these and was surprised (at least that's what he told me) at the detail in the recordings. On the basis of these he arranged a stress echo test (echo at rest and then again immediately after heart rate taken up to 160 beats on treadmill) to be sure my heart was functioning well under stress.

I am writing this just to point out that while the technology is obviously no match for the equipment in hospitals etc.., I for one found the Frontier X2 to be very useful and easy to use. It also gave me the proof that I was not crazy. Actually seeing the beats on an ECG meant a lot to me and also provided the evidence I needed to be taken seriously, which I'm sure some of you (if not many) will confirm, is not always the case.

I'm not advocating that any of us should take the output from readily purchasable heart monitoring watches, straps etc.. as perfectly interpretable information that can be then misdiagnosed by the non competent (we forum members apparently). What I am saying is that they can provide useful indicators that you can then discuss with a professional. For that very factor alone they are (in my opinion) well worth the expense.

Never forget, peace of mind can add years to your life!

[Smitty1956 in reply to Maxspencer]

Well-stated! I agree that the watches and other devices are additional medical tools that can alert us to possible problems that may need immediate attention and care. 😊

[Captain_Birdseye]

Free on reddit, not sure about the app.

[Territorial]

I am learning to read ECGs too i have talked to doctors that certainly cannot totally understand them i have a nurse trying to help with mine..

I hope you are getting along well with it i am finding it very difficult..

[Alison_L]

Wow. A lesson on jumping in with all guns blazing. The OP asked if there were any tutorials on interpreting ECGs, and what her watch can show. You tell her she's bought an inadequate watch, and not to listen to anyone on this forum because we're all half-witted, blind, and not competent at understanding an ECG. I suspect you'll find many of us are perfectly competent, but that wasn't Harefieldfan's question.

[Smitty1956]

First, any company/business with a legal department will include a disclaimer along with their product. People tend to not read directions nor the disclaimer, nor the product guide. But people will misuse products and decide to sue.

Secondly, what was the point of wearing two watches, one on each wrist. By the way, that is a rhetorical question. In my doctor’s office, the nurse has told me that something like taking blood pressure can give differing results depending on the arm used. I can imagine that any device might give slightly different results in the same way.

Thirdly, someone might be aware that only a trained professional can give reliable and valid interpretation of an ECG, but that same person might still want to hear/read the opinion of someone with some knowledge of understanding ECGs. Sometimes people just want reassurance or a supportive word before hearing what the doctor, or specialist, has to say. It can be a type of preparation for hearing the doctor’s news.

You make a good point about getting medical information from the experts, but you probably don’t need to use a sledgehammer to make that point.

I can personally add that when I had my heart attack, I was wearing my Apple Watch, and I kept it on in the emergency room. I checked my heart rate with it against the hospital heart monitor and it was spot on! Further, I am one who will put off going to a hospital unless absolutely necessary. That night, it was the data from my watch that prompted me to go to the hospital. So, a smartwatch can be one more useful tool.

Have a lovely day!

[Alison_L]

"a device that is basically inadequate for the intended purpose". Your words.

I reiterate, the OP did not ask anyone to interpret her ECG, competent (by your definition) or otherwise.

[Smitty1956]

Obviously, you believe that you already know everything.

Also, thank you for trying to make me feel stupid about the fact that I was having a heart attack. Your words: “…but I would argue that most people who are having a HA do not need a watch to tell them.” You tried, but failed to make me look stupid. I had never had a heart attack before so I was confused, scared and shocked at the thought of having a HA. I have also read other people’s stories of their experiences, and they did not always know that they were having a HA. Most of us find the whole thing to be unexpected.

You are very blessed and lucky that your health allows you the luxury of running and doing extreme type exercising. Yet, you seem to feel compelled to belittle and be rude to many people who are struggling with their health issues, and who are unable to experience good health like you.

Be blessed 😇

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

These devices are useful in monitoring heart arrthymias. I just feel my husband's pulse when he goes into Atrial fibrillation.

What these devices cannot do is replace a 12 lead ECG, with well placed leads, carried out by an experienced healthcare professional. Then intrepreted by an experienced, professionally accountable clinician with the full knowledge of a person's medical history.

An ECG is just moment in time, a snap shot, like a single page in a book. It doesn't give the full story.

There is a reason why it takes nearly 10 years to train as a Cardiologist.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

In a way your Cardiologist has 'prescribed ' an intervention. You are using a Kardia under the direction and supervision of a healthcare professional which is empowering.

There are iniatives to create virtual wards where patients can monitor themselves at home under the direction of a nurse or doctor. The patient or their relative speaks to a nurse by phone and sends in their vital signs.

Many patients during the pand***c were cared for at home through virtual wards. They were sent home with oxygen saturation monitors given guidance of how to use them and instructions of when and how they should contact the hospital.

What would be helpful is if these interventions of self monitoring could be properly assessed and evaluated just like any other interventions such as medication.