Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
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Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
FAQs Coping with A-Fib: Monitors
“Is there any way to tell how often I get A-Fib or how long the episodes last? What kind of A-Fib monitors are available? I have silent A-Fib (A-Fib without any obvious symptoms). It was discovered by accident when I was getting an EKG during a physical.”
Holter Monitor
Your doctor may use devices such as a Holter, Event or Loop Monitor. A Holter Monitor records your EKG continuously, usually for 24-48 hours. An Event Monitor can be used for up to 30 days or longer. A Loop recorder is a very small device inserted under your skin beneath your left breast, such as the Medtronic Reveal LINQ. It sends a signal back to your doctor’s office and lasts for 3 years. (I have one. It’s so small it’s hard to tell where it is.) For a more in depth discussion about monitors, see my report A Primer: Ambulatory Heart Rhythm Monitors.
To monitor for A-Fib yourself, the Apple Watch (Series 6, the gold standard of wearable monitors) can generate an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram. It’s very sophisticated and can monitor both for A-Fib and for many other health parameters. The series 6 has a blood oxygen sensor as well as a heart-rate check. Upon FDA approval, it will have real-time monitoring of blood pressure.
Added: August 6, 2020: Marilyn Shook writes “Love my Apple Watch 5! Great accurate ECG strip to share.” (Read Marilyn’s A-Fib story at https://a-fib.com/marilyn-shook-a-fib-story-86-post-pva-complication/.)
Added: September 6, 2021: James writes: ” My apple Watch recently alerted me to A-Fib, and I went to a doctor who kept me overnight for observation. I felt great otherwise. Not sure how long it would have gone on before I checked it.” James.e.hill@gmail.com
The main alternatives to the Apple Watch are the Samsung Galaxy Watch and wearables featuring Google’s Wear OS softwear. The market leader for Wear OS is Fossil (Generation 5) Another Fossil product is the Diesel On Fadelite. The Suunto 7 from Finland has GPS.
DIY Sports Rate Monitor
Another option is a consumer or DIY sports heart rate monitor available from sporting goods stores. Used by runners and other athletes, they rely on the use of a chest strap to pick up the electrical signals from the heart and transmit to a special wrist watch.
On most you can program a high heart rate zone which you might enter only if you were in A-Fib. That way you could record when and how long you stayed in A-Fib and what your max heart rate was. Some have internal storage recording that can be download to your PC to view data in a graphic form.
We like the “Polar” brand. Check out the array of Polar brand heart rate monitors on Amazon.com. Other companies include Timex, Garmin, Acumen, Nike, and Cardiosport.
For an in-depth review of DIY/sports monitors, see my report: Consumer (DIY) Heart Rate Monitors.
Back to FAQs: Coping with Your A-Fib
Last updated: Monday, September 6, 2021
