4 things to consider before meeting with a healthcare professional about atrial fibrillation

Text: Anni Karjala / Illustration: Erik Lanza

After two consecutive measurements, your CardioSignal application might alert you to signs of atrial fibrillation. You might feel worried, anxious or afraid. It is of the utmost importance that you contact your healthcare provider, as instructed by the application. But did you know there is a lot you can prepare in advance to get the most out of your appointment?

To help you prepare for the visit, we gathered information that could prove useful to you and your physician.

1. Make a summary of your relevant medical history

This is the starting point for your medical evaluation. Is this the first time you suspect an episode of atrial fibrillation? Have you discussed your heart health concerns with a doctor before? This information is usually shown in your electronic health record, but knowledge gaps do occur. It is also good to keep track of any other, especially heart-related, diagnoses you may have, as they can have an impact on atrial fibrillation or its treatment. Making a list makes things easier.

2. Keep track of your symptoms and record them

An important aspect in the evaluation of treatment options is the type and intensity of the symptoms you experience – if any. A precise description is important. Did you notice them clearly when the symptoms started? What kind of symptoms do you experience? Do the symptoms affect your daily life?

If you have measured regularly using CardioSignal or some other device, share your monitoring results with your doctor. When did you make the first measurement that detected signs of atrial fibrillation? When did you get a normal result? Write down whether you experienced any symptoms during the measurements.

Your measurement results may provide information as to the type of atrial fibrillation you might have. Sometimes, an episode of atrial fibrillation may be present for only a short time, lasting a couple of minutes or hours, after which the heart rate returns to normal on its own. This type of atrial fibrillation is hard to detect unless you are monitoring your heart rhythm regularly.

3. Medication and previous treatments

Your doctor will want to know if and how your atrial fibrillation has previously been taken care of, or if you have had previous interventions to treat it (e.g. ablation therapy or cardioversion). Be sure to mention if you have had any adverse reactions (e.g. an allergic reaction) to medication. With anticoagulant medication, which is used to prevent complications such as stroke, it is especially important to know if you have taken the drug regularly or whether and when you have forgotten to take a pill.

4. Duration and frequency

To determine the correct treatment option, your doctor will be interested to know how long the current episode of atrial fibrillation has lasted. This is one of the key determinants of the treatment. If your atrial fibrillation presents without symptoms, the doctor will benefit from knowing the last time you recorded a normal rhythm. An important note is also whether the atrial fibrillation is ongoing – i.e. if you have recorded a normal rhythm or if the symptoms you experienced have already disappeared. Another point of interest is how often you have had atrial fibrillation e.g. during the past year – that is why it is good to keep a record.

What happens next?

The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, like any other heart disease, is always made by your physician. Basically, all devices used for healthcare purposes, by your doctor or by you, are there to help your doctor gather evidence for a diagnosis or treatment. The gold standard for confirming an atrial fibrillation diagnosis is an electrocardiogram (an ECG). After an ECG and other necessary examinations have been performed, your physician will evaluate the treatment options specifically for you. This will depend on the factors mentioned above, along with other medical information. The most common treatment options for atrial fibrillation are medication and often also cardioversion therapy, i.e. returning your heart to a normal rhythm (also called sinus rhythm). You can read more about the treatment of atrial fibrillation on American Heart Association’s website.

What should you tell your doctor about CardioSignal?

Digital innovations are, by definition, new, and many doctors might not be familiar with them. With the growing number of new technologies, it might be difficult to determine which can be trusted. You can point out that CardioSignal is a CE-certified class IIa medical device, which is the class for diagnostic devices in Europe. CardioSignal has also been validated in various clinical studies and published in scientific journals. It has a high sensitivity for detecting atrial fibrillation and a low false-positive rate. If your doctor is unsure, you can also ask them to visit cardiosignal.com/professionals, which offers concise information about CardioSignal.

Memo for your doctor’s appointment

• Is this your first episode of atrial fibrillation? If not, how often have you had them during the past year?

• List of any other diseases.

• List of medications you take regularly.

• Any adverse or allergic reactions to previous medication for atrial fibrillation?

• If you are taking an anticoagulant, have you taken it regularly, with no exceptions?

• How long has this episode lasted? If the atrial fibrillation is asymptomatic, when was the last time you recorded a normal rhythm?

• What kind of symptoms do you have? How do they affect your daily life?