Smart watches for heart issues

[classic33]

And any NHS device readings too when it suits them.

My experience of AF & the NHS is that half of them can't recognise AF when it hits them in the face.

Same here, a decade or more of palpitations and nothing showed any problems right up until I was blue lighted into A&E.

Is the Apple an infra red detector type?
IR detectors never show any difference on me either when I'm in NSR, but when I'm in AF at 210bpm the IR ones show 70bpm.

In the lobby at A&E, the paramedics were showing the triage nurse my ecg worriedly trying to explain that my HR was 200+, but she wouldnt take any notice of them because her IR finger clip said 70bpm.

They aren't reliable.

The finger clips are well known for possible inaccurate readings on darker skin.
Even the port wine birthmark on my left hand throws them.

The other option your left with is a longer spell in A&E, as they wire you up to an ECG. Neither of which is what the OP is asking about.

 

[ianrauk]

However, I've always understood that wrist devices are of limited accuracy for heart monitoring

Especially if you have wrist tattoos. I have quite dark sleeve tattoos that cover my wrists. The dark ink means that my smart watch (Garmin) doesn't read my heart rate at all well if at all.

 

[tom73]

The finger clips are well known for possible inaccurate readings on darker skin.
Even the port wine birthmark on my left hand throws them.

The other option your left with is a longer spell in A&E, as they wire you up to an ECG. Neither of which is what the OP is asking about.

This is indeed well known, it's part of much wider issue increasingly in health care and the wider public of relying on the machine that go's ping. Ambo crews are well known for it. Even me with over 20 years voluntary pre hospital care experience. Never trusts a reading and looks at wider picture. I've in the past failed students who have blindly followed tech. Many new HCP's now have no idea how to take manual BP's. Add in the tend of allowing even more unqualified staff to do stuff with machines. It's only set to get worse, my local hospital removed ob's machines from wards to force staff. To look and talk to patients using the time to spot small things you only see when going sets of basic obs.

 

[Heavymental]

A Kardia device carried in the pocket will give you high quality recordings when you feel irregularities.

Actually, I might go for this as the episodes I have (whatever they are) often last for many minutes at a time (as I type I've felt something is going on for the last half hour or so). So I don't think I'd struggle to pin one down. This also sounds more accurate than an infra red device (a smartwatch) and also I can pick one up on Vinted for £50!