Stroke is a life-threatening emergency, and even if you survive, serious complications can affect your life. So it’s important to find ways to prevent strokes, and this article introduces a new method that can help fight them off: heart monitors.

Abnormal heart rhythm can cause stroke

According to the American Heart Association, one in five patients who experience a stroke for the first time has atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the chamber (atrium) above the left heart beats abnormally and rapidly. The contraction of the heart is weaker than normal, which causes blood coagulation and may form a thrombus (blood clot). As long as a blood clot enters the brain, it will It can cause stroke, so people with atrial fibrillation have a higher chance of having a stroke.

Some people with atrial fibrillation will not experience symptoms, while others may experience chest tightness, irregular tremors above the heart, dizziness, fainting, lightheadedness, fatigue, weakness, or shortness of breath. Hypertension, stress, heart disease, pneumonia, excessive thyroid hormone, alcohol abuse, or smoking all increase the chance of atrial fibrillation.

What is a heart monitor?

A heart monitor is a special instrument used to record heart rhythm. It consists of conductive patches placed on the skin at the location of the heart. These patches are connected with wires to a portable recording monitor that can be placed in your pocket. . A heart monitor can be worn during normal activities. The device records the electrical activity of the heart. Your doctor will ask you to record in a journal what you did while wearing the device and how you felt about your health. After a period of time, the doctor will look at the log and confirm whether the heart rhythm is normal.

Heart monitor helps monitor causes of stroke

As mentioned above, people with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) have a higher chance of having a stroke. Wearing a heart monitor helps detect atrial fibrillation early and is more effective because it records the heartbeat and confirms if there are any irregular rhythms. The physician will then recommend appropriate treatment and stroke prevention treatments, thereby reducing further strokes, complications, and death.

The doctor will ask you to wear a heart monitor for 24 to 48 hours while engaging in normal activities. However, atrial fibrillation is not easy to detect, and there may be some different incidental conditions, and these incidental conditions related to abnormal heart rhythm may cause It disappears before you or your doctor notice it. Therefore, some studies have shown that some patients may need to record their heartbeats for a longer period of time to detect irregular heartbeats.

Research has found that a new heartbeat monitor called ICM (full name: Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor) is an implantable device that is better able to record arrhythmias because it can remain in the patient’s body for several days. When the patient wears the device, any abnormal signs can be recorded. ICM has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New heart monitors can detect some types of stroke, thereby helping to reduce the chance of getting this emergency condition. Therefore, widespread use of heart monitors can help modern medicine better control strokes.