Irregular heartbeat on my blood pressure machine

BP monitor

by piglet22 - 2024-06-04 09:45:37

Short answer is without pacemaker arrhythmias are picked up by BP monitors.

With PM it should be showing your paced rate.

Best time to check this is after at least 15 minutes of rest.

Your PM should have a base rate, the IPG rate which is the minimum rate you are paced at, say 60 or 70 BPM.

If you start seeing rates below the minimum then you could be getting beats being sensed, often PVCs or ectopics, that act to reduce the paced rate.

The BP monitor is good at picking this up.

I get ectopics and my PM set to IPG base rate 70 BPM can show anything as low as 35. At this point you will not be feeling well and need attention.

Adopt a BP measuring regime, maybe morning and evening but it's important to rest first.

It might not be this, but in 19 years of BP monitoring the heart rate never varied by plus or minus one or two beats.

Ectopics changed all that.

I'm 100% paced as well and due for replacement.

If you have a home monitor and can initiate a data download, then do it if you are in an unusual condition.

It might be a one off or it might be an indicator that your condition has changed.

Don't leave it or it can progress to dizziness and blackouts.

Don't worry, it's common and ectopics can often be treated by taking or changing the dose of medication.

Beta blockers are effective at subduing ectopics

irregular beats

by Tracey_E - 2024-06-04 10:45:02

The pacer is a gas pedal, not a brake, so if the heart wants to throw in some irregular beats on its own, the pacer can't stop it. 

The monitor may be accurate, or sometimes pacing throws it off. 

When in doubt, check with your doctor. 

BP monitors

by Selwyn - 2024-06-04 14:07:41

You have to ensure you put the cuff on according to intructions with the arrow over the artery so that the pulse is easily detected. The cuff needs to be firm ( though not too tight).  Sometimes not all the beats are picked up - this can produce some random pulse results, as can talking at the time of using the sphygnomanometer, though modern machines are better.

I think to be on the safe side I would check your pulse. It should  not be very irregular ( the odd extra beat is neither here nor there).

If concerned or symptomatic it is worth seeing your GP's nurse for screening.

Irregular

by AgentX86 - 2024-06-04 14:18:22

Tracey_E has the right answer.  I'll add that sometimes ablations fail and often, even after years, the arrhythmia will come back.  It can either be a new site that's acting up or the scar tissue burned around the original site can heal over, bringing back the arrhythmia.

If your BP meter is showing it, you should be able to feel it in either your wrist or carotid artery, in the neck. BP meters are pretty poor at detecting arrhythmias, so it sees it in the arm, it will be readily apparent in the neck, and in more detail. A PVC will feel different than Afib, and Afib will feel different than either.  I got petty good at telling the difference.  Unfortunately, too good.

Electronic scales

by AgentX86 - 2024-06-04 22:49:16

Pacemaker patients should not be using electronic (BMI calculating, and such) scales. They pass a current through the body that may interurrupt the pacemaker's sensing.