Recommendations published on how to use gadgets to detect arrhythmia

The first practical guide has appeared on how to use gadgets to monitor heart rate and

heart rate. This field has been evolving since the advent of smartphones and wearable devices. The document explains which technologies should be used and when.

Heart rate monitoring with digitaldevices is a potential way to track down asymptomatic arrhythmias and prevent them. For example, about a third of patients with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms. Therefore, early diagnosis will allow timely treatment to reduce the risk of stroke.

In the article, the authors reviewed all new digitaldevices such as electrocardiogram (ECG) patches, smart watches, smart bands, chest straps, rings and headphones, as well as wearable devices such as smartphones with dedicated sensor-based health tracking apps.

Dr. Svennberg noted that digital devices are especially useful for people with an irregular heart rhythm, in other words, with a paroxysmal form of arrhythmia.

If you only have an arrhythmia twice a year, it can sometimes be difficult to detect. But gadgets record all the necessary information and help make a diagnosis.

Emma Svennberg, doctor at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm

The authors stated that assessing indicatorsoutside the normal range, a team consisting of cardiac arrhythmia specialists or cardiologists should be considered. Also, information only from gadgets is not enough to make a diagnosis, they note: additional research needs to be carried out. 

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