Cardiac Arrhythmia Monitoring
Arrhythmia is when the heart beats irregularly. The most common type of arrhythmia is Atrial fibrillation a.k.a AFib. AFib is common in the elderly. Sadly, approximately 2.7-6.1 million people in the U.S have this condition (CDC, 2015). AFib increases a person's risk for stroke by 4-5 times. It has caused an alarming rate of hospitalizations and death (CDC, 2015). Some patients with arrhythmia may require one of the cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) to help them correct their abnormal heart rhythms. These devices could be remotely monitored by your healthcare provider which serves to compliment or substitute for routine in-office care. Critical alerts are transmitted to providers immediately for prompt follow up and this may save you or your loved love from sudden cardiac death. Please discuss with your provider to see if you meet the criteria to use one of these devices if you suffer from arrhythmias. Better still, there are now mobile heart monitors available which can assess and record your heart rhythms and send the information to your provider wirelessly. One of such devices is the AliveCor Kardia Mobile ECG that can be used on Apple and Android devices. You only need your fingers, no wires or electrodes are required.