Accurate recording for afib

[Parya]

Hello again everyone please has anyone any advice on the best way to record my bpm? I have a pacer watch but I believe this is just an average reading as a pulsometer shows the true picture of my pulse going from 52 to 102 and not stopping long on any numbers in-between but the watch shows a lower steadier reading, I have just had my bisoprolol increased from 6.25 to 7.5 and not tolerating it well but I know this must get sorted, have had a referral to the arythmia clinic but that will be ages my echo also showed lvsd of 40-45 apparently caused by the afib should I get a kardia in this instance, and as I have gone back to swimming have been relying on the watch to monitor my heartbeat but now worried I am not getting a correct reading, have sent a message to pacer but any info would be very much appreciated as I really don't know what device to trust.

[bluemoon572]

An oximeter, which measures your oxygen saturation as you clip it on a finger tip,also accurately measures your heart rate. These sell for about 25 US dollars. The average blood pressure monitors also accurately record your heart rate but are more expensive.

[liveforsummer in reply to bluemoon572]

Can anyone recommend an accurate oximeter, available in the UK. I'm a bit worried trying to get an accurate heart rate and oxygen level, especially at night.

[valspia in reply to liveforsummer]

My Apple Watch has been perfect for me. I use an auto-sleep app which records everything, and I'm on oxygen at night. My readings have been extremely accurate and I double-check with the dr. readings whenever I have an appt.

[SaxmanAD]

Kardia does the job.

[sandandkev]

Sometimes I've done my pulse myself as can count any irregular or extra beats,also nurse does it this way sometimes too

[fishonabike]

the most accurate way is probably the old fashioned way, do it yourself by hand, counting with a timer - most of the devices used count the gaps between the beats for a short time then calculate an average estimated beats per minute

by hand you feel each pulse, any irregularly spaced beats and how strong it is- much more informative

it can be tricky to find a wrist pulse, but there are good strong ones in your neck and groin (use firm pressure, a dainty touch is not enough) images.app.goo.gl/vDjkmPZ2T...

there are instructions here and elsewhere online bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

with a regular pulse you soon learn to count for 15 secs then multiply by 4, but for irregular pulses you should take the whole minute

and as long as you have a timer or watch with second hand you can do this anywhere

let us know how you do

[bluemoon572 in reply to fishonabike]

Sometimes with a rapid,irregular heart rate some of the beats are adynamic and will not generate a palpable pulse. This could give a falsely low number for the rate.

[fishonabike in reply to bluemoon572]

indeed but at least you would be aware of any irregularities as well as their frequency with the manual method - not all monitoring devices report irregularities

the manual method gives a lot more information than the "irregular heartbeat" symbol on a monitor

[fishonabike in reply to bluemoon572]

I'm guessing that what you call an adynamic pulse would be a weak one, and this is the sort of ino a monitoring device would not know, but it can be useful to a medic - also most non-medics would not know the difference between an occasional adynamic pulse and an arrhythmia - as an ex-nurse I've only heard it in reference to specific conditions like peripheral artery disease

when in doubt I use my stethoscope and check from the source anyway - but not everyone has one handy🙂

[Parya in reply to fishonabike]

Went to gp today as breathless and he took bpm manually and confirmed your suggestion to always do it this way, had an ecg and bpm 125 and watch said 79! He said some beats don't get through to watch and pacer also replied to me today said accurate readings for afib are not possible.

Thank you to everyone who replied and helped, I had only popped into surgery this morning to try and get a phone back but they kept me there I was on my way to the pool for aquarobics so with a resting beat of 125 it would have been very dangerous with the watch saying everything was ok! So bisoprolol increased to 10mg and put on fursemide see what happens now.

No more watches for me!

Thanks again everyone this forum is invaluable I have only been diagnosed for 2 months and things get so confusing and everyone is so kind and helpful and the bhf nurses are great and reassuring with any queries

[Rosie1066]

An Apple Watch.

[TasteLessFood4Life]

Polar chest straps are the gold standard. I have a few smartwaches, Apple series 7 and above are accurate when working correctly, but can be hit/miss especially during exertion.

Fitbit - I do find pretty unreliable.