Afib Monitor Options Discussed by a Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist

Cardiologist Dr. Maria Rumsey and Electrophysiologist Dr. Nitesh Sood describe different options for atrial fibrillation monitors. Picking a specific monitor depends on whether or not the patient feels symptoms, such as palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, chest pain or shortness of breath.

Patients who feel symptoms can purchase one of these monitors to check their own electrocardiogram (ECG): Apple Watch, Fitbit Sense, Galaxy Watch, or Kardia Device. The Kardia is the least expensive but is not as convenient as a wearable watch, can not monitor your heartrate while you are asleep, and does not have the added bonus of sending you an alert (if your heart beat is too rapid, too slow or irregular) that the smartwatches offer. All of the systems will record a 30 second ECG anytime you choose, give you an interpretation of "AFib" or "normal rhythm", store those ECGs on your cell phone, and give you the option to share any of those ECGs with your physician or family members.

Dr. Sood presents examples of when his patients have helped manage their AFIB using their wearable Smartwatch ECG monitors. The first patient felt tired despite an Afib ablation and their ECG recordings revealed that their heart was too slow, requiring their medications to be reduced. The second patient was receiving “irregular heart rate notifications” from their Smartwatch, prompting them to check their 30 second ECG, and revealing frequent episodes of asymptomatic Afib that were unknown to the patient and physician. The third patient was taking medications for her Afib but still complained of feeling tired; luckily, her daily ECG recordings showed that she was still having Afib episodes that were not well controlled by the medication regimen the doctor had chosen.

The Club Afib App helped these patients display their ECGs in a graph format that was easier for the patient and physician to track their Afib and even correlate their Afib to precipitating factors like sleep, alcohol use, weight gain and blood pressure.

For patients who do not feel any symptoms, a physician may still prescribe an Afib monitor if they strongly suspect that the patient has underlying Afib or if the doctor needs to know if the chosen treatment is appropriately controlling the Afib. The two monitors physicians prescribe are either 1) wearable Holter and Event Recorders that may last for a day, a week or even a month, or 2) an Implantable Loop Recorder that lasts 3-5 years. Both the wearable and the implanted monitors will be checking a continuous ECG at every instant and will notify the physician every time it detects Afib, which is why it is the appropriate way to monitor patients that are asymptomatic. The caveat is that the patient does not have access to the information; it is transmitted directly to the physician's office. This information is useful for physicians to determine whether the patient needs to take blood thinners, also known as anticoagulants. This is often important in patients who have had a stroke and Afib is strongly suspected as the cause, and, in patients who have had an Afib ablation and the physician feels it might be safe to stop anticoagulation. These continuous ECG monitors are also more accurate in detecting nocturnal Afib since it records an ECG at all times and does not simply rely on heart rate monitoring as the Smartwatches do.

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About Club Afib:

Club Afib is dedicated to educating and empowering people with Atrial Fibrillation to improve their health by using the most up-to-date technology available. We integrate with the top consumer monitors so users can track and manage their Afib. We answer all the common questions that surround this complex disease and provide a forum for peer discussions as well as the opportunity to chat with AFib experts.

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Afib Monitor Options Discussed by a Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist:
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