implantable chip to detect silent afib

Have not had any afib symptoms whatsoever since second ablation 6 years ago. Had annual check up today with EP who suggested this procedure for stroke prevention. Is anyone familiar with this? BTW, I'm 77 and run 5 miles a day.

Can you tell afib if you feel your radial pulse? If so, I'd check it a time or two daily and see if you notice any afib. Alternatively a monitor like the Kardia (AliveCor) would also check.

Seems like an implant would be excessive in my opinion.

George

I agree with George that an implanted device seems like overkill. I understand your EP's concern. Silent afib does exist, does cause strokes, and hard core runners are particularly prone to afib. So given your age, history, and zeal for running, it's prudent to check. Although I love the AliveCor, it doesn't monitor continuously so it's not going to catch silent afib unless you're just lucky as hell. What I don't understand is why he didn't suggest a non-invasive alternative like a Zio patch. Call me a cynic, but implanted devices are big business for many EPs and I would be suspicious he's just trying to buff his 2017 income.

Nope.

Don’t put anything in your body to measure something that can be measured from the outside. Get a Kardia or another monitor if you’re worried about it.

If you’re running 5 miles a day I’d say the chances of you being in AF are the same as zero, but I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on the internet!

Silent afib is called silent because patients are unaware of it, so things like an AliveCor aren't going to catch it. The EP's concern apparently is that Susie could be experiencing afib without realizing it. It could happen during sleep, for example, or she could simply be asymptomatic. I know people who run, lift weights, etc. and yet they're in persistent afib but feel absolutely no symptoms. She would need a Holter monitor, event monitor, or something like the Zio patch. None of those are invasive and all of them will catch silent afib (if worn long enough).

That said, I'm extremely skeptical that Susie has afib. I'm just quoting the party line on silent afib. I think we all agree on saying no to an implanted device.

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Carey
Silent afib is called silent because patients are unaware of it, so things like an AliveCor aren't going to catch it. The EP's concern apparently is that Susie could be experiencing afib without realizing it. It could happen during sleep, for example, or she could simply be asymptomatic. I know people who run, lift weights, etc. and yet they're in persistent afib but feel absolutely no symptoms. She would need a Holter monitor, event monitor, or something like the Zio patch. None of those are invasive and all of them will catch silent afib (if worn long enough).

That said, I'm extremely skeptical that Susie has afib. I'm just quoting the party line on silent afib. I think we all agree on saying no to an implanted device.

If you sample on a regular basis during a day (say with an AliveCor), you would not rule out short duration afib, between your sample times, but you would rule out long duration afib.

Hence the question is "what duration would be acceptable from a stroke risk perspective?"

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GeorgeN
If you sample on a regular basis during a day (say with an AliveCor), you would not rule out short duration afib, between your sample times, but you would rule out long duration afib.

Hence the question is "what duration would be acceptable from a stroke risk perspective?"

Good question. Speaking purely for myself, I would accept one week of continuous monitoring to believe I had no silent arrhythmias. Anything not caught in that period would be infrequent and short enough for me to believe it didn't pose much of a threat to me.

I'm a new member, so take this with a grain of salt. Last March, I had an ischemic stroke. I'm 64, skinny, don't smoke or drink, excellent results on lab reports. Until the stroke, I walked a mile every day with my dog and worked outdoors. I'm a beekeeper and gardener. I've had rheumatoid arthritis for 30+ years, and I'm aware of the damage chronic inflammation has on the body. I wore an external monitor for a week in the hospital, then for a month at home. Nothing... nada. I have a sharp young cardiologist who suspected Afib. He suggested an implantable loop recorder. It's tiny, and was implanted during an outpatient procedure. The procedure itself was about 15 minutes.

Eight weeks later he called. I had an Afib episode. I felt nothing. The bad news is I have Afib. The good news is that the stroke may have been caused by something treatable. If RA had been the only cause, I would have been stuck waiting for the next stroke. I take medication for Afib and stroke recovery is ongoing. Again, I'm the new guy here. I came to learn more about Afib, but felt compelled to share. I'm grateful the young cardiologist followed his instincts. When the loop recorder battery dies (2 years or so) I'll have it removed. Until then, it's a tiny lump under the skin that might have saved my life.