Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Could someone explain the new AliveCor beat fluctuation reading and what the numbers mean? Is a high number good or bad? Thanks!
In afib, the beat fluctuation varies and can be very short and sometimes long.
Do you have afib or something? Ha! :-)
This is what I found on the AliveCor website
What is Beat Fluctuation (BFx)?
Beat Fluctuation (BFx) is a measure of how much your heartbeat changes from beat to beat. BFx varies from person to person and also changes with lifestyle, habits and activities. BFx is represented on a scale from 0 to 100 where lower values indicate less fluctuation.
BFx will appear on ECGs recorded for 30 seconds or longer. The BFx value will appear on the ECG in the Journal screen, on Data Entry, and in the ECG Review screen. You can turn off BFx at anytime in the Settings of the AliveECG app.
BFx can be used in the following way:
1. Record an ECG that is 30 seconds or longer to obtain a BFx number.
2. Tag anything you think may be impacting that number.
3. Observe how BFx number changes throughout the day with changes to your lifestyle like stress, sleep, activities, diet, etc.
Hope this helps!
I see that you are taking Sotalol, is this still helping you keep your a-fib episodes down to a minimum??
Carpe diem,
atp (across the pond)
And yes, the sotalol has been working great for me for several years (fingers crossed and hand knocking on wood )
I wouldnt assume that one number is good and another one bad. They are just numbers that show your personal fluctuation. This seems to be a question that is popping up on other boards, too. Here is an answer from another a-fib board (notice how the words good and bad are avoided!):
As many patients have asked about the beat fluctuation function of the AliveCor mobile ECG, I made contact with AliveCor and this is their response:
"This is an experimental measure and mostly we advise to ignore it (I am asking for it to be removed). Beat Fluctuation (BFx) is a measure of how much your heartbeat changes from beat to beat. BFx varies from person to person and also changes with lifestyle, habits and activities. BFx is represented on a scale from 0 to 100 where lower values indicate less fluctuation. It is an experiment where you may observe how that BFx number changes throughout the day with changes to your lifestyle. BeatFx is not a validated indicator and it's medical relevance is still being explored; please consult your practitioner to determine if you should be concerned about the level of HR fluctuation observed."
Carpe diem,
atp