General Medical issues thread

[Freq Flier 2013]

Seeing people talking about what is good for you to eat, maybe this could assist.
View attachment 450712

And now we can’t even get that in QF lounges!!

 

[TheRealTMA]

After my BRVO, cardiologist has put me down for an ILR. Are smart watches like Apple Watch etc medically good at monitoring for AF and irregular heart beats and good or better than an ILR?

 

[tgh]

My Appl watch presents a HR graph after exercise and I use that to assess my max achieved HR.
I have no idea how accurate it is and it only records HR, nothing else.
It can run an ecg as a seperate exercise but I doubt it is medically accurate

 

[Quickstatus]

ILR

= implantable/insertable loop recorder

A miniature device inserted just under the skin that monitors the ECG in a loop, usually 60 minutes
When it is activated, it saves a period of time immediately before the abnormal rhythm, the abnormal rhythm, and a period of time after.
It will auto record an abnormal rhythm or the patient can wave a hand held activator to manually activate a save - for example the patient waves the activator over the ILR and causes the ILR to save the data to the activator.
The patient can send the data wirelessly from activator to clinic.

(In case someone else asks whats is an ILR )

 

[TheRealTMA]

= implantable/insertable loop recorder

A miniature device inserted just under the skin that monitors the ECG in a loop, usually 60 minutes
When it is activated, it saves a period of time immediately before the abnormal rhythm, the abnormal rhythm, and a period of time after.
It will auto record an abnormal rhythm or the patient can wave a hand held activator to manually activate a save - for example the patient waves the activator over the ILR and causes the ILR to save the data to the activator.
The patient can send the data wirelessly from activator to clinic.

Thanks. Yes I understand the ILR device. The question was more about whether an Apple Watch etc dies the same or better job with real time alerts and medically validated.

 

[RooFlyer]

My Appl watch presents a HR graph after exercise and I use that to assess my max achieved HR.
I have no idea how accurate it is and it only records HR, nothing else.
It can run an ecg as a seperate exercise but I doubt it is medically accurate

There’s a device called a Kardia.

It’s about five cm long and 4 mm thick.

Two types of models the - 6L which is photographed here can measure a medically acceptable six channel ECG. monitors for heart arrhythmia not heart attacks.



There is another model that just measures one channel.

it’s run through an app on your phone of course and it can produce a PDF of your reading over 30 or 60 seconds ready to email to your cardiologist.

The shows normal sinus rhythm with ectopic beat



Mild tachycardia

EKG Monitor with 6 Leads | KardiaMobile 6L by AliveCor

Why Six-Leads: Never before has more heart health information been available at your fingertips. Share detailed 6-lead EKGs with your doctor for a better view of your heart. And help your doctor provide you with even better care. Capture a medical-grade EKG in 30 seconds and detect Atrial...

kardia.com

I don’t leave home without it

 

[andye]

My Appl watch presents a HR graph after exercise and I use that to assess my max achieved HR.
I have no idea how accurate it is and it only records HR, nothing else.
It can run an ecg as a seperate exercise but I doubt it is medically accurate

I have a couple of Cardio colleagues who are happy for patients to use but when I'm looking for AF/causes of funny turns I'd only trust a HeartBug (for 1 month's monitoring) or ILR. The real time nature of the Apple watch is to its advantage howver

 

[TheRealTMA]

There’s a device called a Kardia.

It’s about five cm long and 4 mm thick.

Two types of models the - 6L which is photographed here can measure a medically acceptable six channel ECG. monitors for heart arrhythmia not heart attacks.

View attachment 450855

There is another model that just measures one channel.

it’s run through an app on your phone of course and it can produce a PDF of your reading over 30 or 60 seconds ready to email to your cardiologist.

The shows normal sinus rhythm with ectopic beat

View attachment 450856

Mild tachycardia

View attachment 450857

EKG Monitor with 6 Leads | KardiaMobile 6L by AliveCor

Why Six-Leads: Never before has more heart health information been available at your fingertips. Share detailed 6-lead EKGs with your doctor for a better view of your heart. And help your doctor provide you with even better care. Capture a medical-grade EKG in 30 seconds and detect Atrial...

kardia.com

I don’t leave home without it

Yes I’ve seen them.

 

[RooFlyer]

I’m travelling and feeling a bit off and I suspect my blood pressure might have popped up. I do have hypertension and take tablets for it which keeps it under control.

what would be the symptoms if my blood pressure had gone up to level where I should see someone?

i’m about to board a cruise ship where there is a Doctor, but it’s expensive to see him and not covered by travel insurance,so I want to have a decent reason.

 

[VPS]

I’m travelling and feeling a bit off and I suspect my blood pressure might have popped up. I do have hypertension and take tablets for it which keeps it under control.

what would be the symptoms if my blood pressure had gone up to level where I should see someone?

i’m about to board a cruise ship where there is a Doctor, but it’s expensive to see him and not covered by travel insurance,so I want to have a decent reason.

Why wouldn’t it be covered by TI

 

[Quickstatus]

The question was more about whether an Apple Watch etc dies the same or better job with real time alerts and medically validated.

Apple Watch + ECG app can only recognise Atrial fibrillation, there are other arrhythmias which is cannot recognise.

Kardia and other cutaneous monitors are better but does not record if not placed on the skin - meaning it will miss a lot of events.

More importantly the ILR records and saves a period prior to and after arrhythymia - its important to know the rhythm that led up to the event and how the event terminated. Because it is implanted subcutaneously, the record is not prone to electrical interference, noise, movement etc. It also records the events which are asymptomatic to the patient.

 

[Quickstatus]

what would be the symptoms if my blood pressure had gone up to level where I should see someone?

Could be none, or non specific symptoms such as feeling unwell or feeling off. Also headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, short of breath, nausea, bluured vision, chest pain also. There are actually no specific symptoms of acute high blood pressure. I had one fellow whose primary symptom was vomiting and he thought he has gastro but his blood pressure was mid 200's.

 

[Flashback]

Why wouldn’t it be covered by TI

Pre existing condition perhaps.

 

[RooFlyer]

Why wouldn’t it be covered by TI

I might be wrong, but I thought my policy excludes getting crook on board a cruise ship. I guess I should check..

 

[Quickstatus]

my policy excludes getting crook on board a cruise ship

what happens if you do get crook. It mighty expensive getting off via the coast guard helicopter or similar?

 

[love_the_life]

After my BRVO, cardiologist has put me down for an ILR. Are smart watches like Apple Watch etc medically good at monitoring for AF and irregular heart beats and good or better than an ILR?

Mr LtL's cardiologist was interested to see his Apple Watch data and also the data from a portable ECG monitor. Not at detailed a full on Holter monitor but gives an indication.

 

[love_the_life]

I might be wrong, but I thought my policy excludes getting crook on board a cruise ship. I guess I should check..

You would probably have needed to specify you were going 'on a cruise' as part of extras though I am not sure if credit care TI includes this by default. I am just in the process of sorting TI for a cruise at the end of the year - with MrLtL having an additional premium due to his ICD.

 

[VPS]

I might be wrong, but I thought my policy excludes getting crook on board a cruise ship. I guess I should check..

YMMV but I had been unwell while I was travelling and had thought I’d recovered but had a recurrence on the cruise and the travel insurance covered that when I visited the doctor on board.

It was horrendously expensive though, but they covered it all

 

[love_the_life]

YMMV but I had been unwell while I was travelling and had thought I’d recovered but had a recurrence on the cruise and the travel insurance covered that when I visited the doctor on board.

It was horrendously expensive though, but they covered it all

I have a feeling you have to pay the amount on board and then claim on TI later - was that your experience? The only time (touchwood) I have needed a ship's doctor was back in 2010 in the Arctic for norovirus but was not charged as there was an outbreak on board.

 

[VPS]

Pre existing condition perhaps.

But if you specified it as a pre-existing condition,and they covered it then you should be good