Kardia "possible arial fibrillation" reading

I had an ablation for afib/flutter 6 weeks ago. Initially there were short recurrences of afib according to my Kardia but they stopped 3 weeks ago. A few days ago I was feeling palpitations after a bit too much of a hike and the Kardia said"Unclassified" and then "Possible Atrial Fibrillation" for over an hour. I sent to my EP team who replied that there were some Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs) that they considered benign but no afib. Has this happened to others? When my heart issues started a few years ago it was first diagnosed as PACs but over time turned into afib. Thanks

Yes, this is extremely common and nothing to worry about. The Kardia tends to err on the side of labeling PACs as possible afib.

Watch your hydration carefully. Most people tend to underestimate how much water they need during exertion and dehydration tends to throw your electrolytes out of balance, and that can definitely promote PACs and afib. However much water you drank on that hike, drink twice as much next time. Throwing in a small bag of potato chips will help too because potatoes are high in potassium and the chips are salty, so that will keep things balanced with all that additional water. You can find other things to provide salt and potassium, but I found that chips work nicely because they're cheap, light to carry, and provide a nice little carb boost during exercise.

Thank you Carey! You are so very helpful.

Yes I have had this happen to me a few times. The kardia would read out as "possible afib" and when I sent it into my EP's office I was told they were just PACs.

Those heart monitors give good tracings when used the way they should, but their purpose is not to diagnose anything.
As PACs, PVCs and AFib are among the easiest things to identify on a tracing (AFib is unmistakable), I'd suggest you learn to read those basic abnormalities. You'll find lots of tutorials and guides on the WWWeb.

Good advice Pompon. I would like to demystify the EKG reading for myself.

Quote
Pompon
Those heart monitors give good tracings when used the way they should, but their purpose is not to diagnose anything.
As PACs, PVCs and AFib are among the easiest things to identify on a tracing (AFib is unmistakable), I'd suggest you learn to read those basic abnormalities. You'll find lots of tutorials and guides on the WWWeb.

So.... ALL the EPs when they look at my Kardia tracings are like.. it kinda looks like afib. They compare it with "normal" Kardias.. as well hosptial 12 lead ones. Now I have had 5 open heart surgeries. And my ECG isn't typical anyway.. but I can't believe they are ALL that stupid that when looking at the Kardia they aren't sure. (EPs, EPPAs, NPs, Fellows etc..) idk. am I wrong? and maybe I'm just an anomaly... .

No, they're sure when it's afib. Afib is absolutely unmistakable and you don't even need a Kardia to diagnose it. Just feel a pulse for 15 seconds. If it's irregularly irregular, it's afib. Same with an EKG or Kardia. In afib the spacing between R waves will be random and irregular.

However, flutter, atrial tach, and SVT can be difficult or impossible to diagnose with a Kardia. You need a 12-lead ECG to diagnose those with any degree of certainty.

The only thing looking like AFib on a tracing (and checking your pulses) is runs of PACs. They're random and when they've some length, they feel the same and look the same as AFib. But there are perfectly normal beats between two runs of PACs.
As Carey said, once you're used to recognize AFib, you don't need any device saying "it's AFib". I don't even need checking my pulses. It's a well known sensation.
I mainly use my EKG monitor to record some events and show the tracings to my cardiologist.