What is AFIB?
Please visit Mayoclinic.org for more information on Afib
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that can increase your risk of strokes, heart failure and other heart-related complications. During atrial fibrillation, the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) beat chaotically and irregularly — out of coordination with the two lower chambers (the ventricles) of the heart. Atrial fibrillation symptoms often include heart palpitations, shortness of breath and weakness.
Episodes of atrial fibrillation may come and go, or you may develop atrial fibrillation that doesn't go away and may require treatment. Although atrial fibrillation itself usually isn't life-threatening, it is a serious medical condition that sometimes requires emergency treatment. A major concern with atrial fibrillation is the potential to develop blood clots within the upper chambers of the heart. These blood clots forming in the heart may circulate to other organs and lead to blocked blood flow (ischemia). Treatments for atrial fibrillation may include medications and other interventions to try to alter the heart's electrical system.
What Can You Do About It?
Living with AFIB can be scary as you never know when it may happen. You may live with it all the time or it may come and go. For so many years, before our advanced technology, it usually meant a quick trip to the hospital or it maybe was ignored altogether, which may have led to serious health consequences.
However, with the advancement of technology, we now have home devices that can quickly identify when AFIB is happening.
So, how do you choose a device that works well and fits into your budget? I found that the average cost runs around $100 with some devices a little higher and some a little lower. Something that jumped out at me right away was that there IS A MONTHLY CHARGE with the one I liked best, and that really upset people. When they purchased their device, they didn't realize there was an additional cost which was around $10 per month. Most of the reviews were very good except for the added charge. There also were a few reviews that said it wasn't accurate enough.
After reviewing and comparing different devices, the one I felt was the best is called, 'AliveCor KardiaMobile Personal EKG | FDA-Cleared | Detects AFib'
The overall rating is 4.4 out of 5 stars and there were an abundance of reviews.
Some of the things that stood out to me were the ease of setting it up. The ease of actually using it. Most folks thought it was extremely accurate. You do need a smart phone to connect to the device to store the data.
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