BHF article on fitness trackers

An interesting read as post anything heart issue we all get a bit crazy about such things

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[baltibob]

There are some accuracy issues with wrist based devices, but as it mentions in the article, I think using them for long term trends could be really useful.

I log bp etc with docobo apps for the cardiac team to remote monitor, but it provides no real value to patients, as once you have entered the data you can never see it again. I have a garmin watch, so it logs my heart rate etc, and I also log my weight, bp etc in its app, so that I have a record of those things for myself.

[EmmJayTea]

It is an interesting article and , I suspect, follows a recent publication by the BHF Data Science Centre.

A fitness tracker is really useful guide to keep an eye on general trends and spikes/sudden changes. Several issues affect their reliability, including how well they fit, skin tone, sweat gunk and the type of activity you do. I've used both wrist and chest worn ones in the past, and found them very useful for training in different heart zones at the gym. Initially, I used it purely as a training tool.

But mine also helped identify a serious problem. I noticed some unusually high HR readings and sudden jumps. Some were attributed to pace-locking (one of the issues with optical-sensing watches), whereby my running cadence confused the watch. However, when a jump to 220bpm coincided with pre-syncope and almost collapsing, I knew something was wrong. This prompted me to follow up with my GP and 18 months later... boom! I found out that I had a congenital heart condition and that I had been experiencing life-threatening sustained VTs.😬

It goes without saying that I am naturally pro these devices and very grateful for my own sports watch data, but I know it isn't the same for everyone. I have a friend who won't touch any sort of tracking device with a barge pole as he is worried it would fuel his obsessive behaviours and anxiety.

It's certainly a growing area of interest in health data research. Watch this space.

See what I did there? 😉