Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with important clinical complications such as stroke and heart failure.
Although AF can manifest with clinical symptoms of palpitations or discomfort in relation to an accelerated and irregular pulse, it is not uncommon for this arrhythmia to be completely asymptomatic or with few symptoms, the initial manifestation being one of its complications.
On the other hand, this arrhythmia can have a paroxysmal behavior, appearing and disappearing repeatedly. Therefore, the diagnosis of AF can be a great challenge.
Technological advances allow early diagnosis and follow-up, not only in patients with known and treated pathologies, but also in large, apparently healthy population groups, are revolutionizing our capacity for diagnosis and prevention.
Today’s electronic devices allow us to calculate steps, hours of sleep, calories burned and even monitor our heart rate. These advances allow us not only to know the real prevalence of this arrhythmia but also the ability to prevent its devastating complications.
One of the major advantages of these devices is that they are easily integrated into our lives, easy to use, convenient and reliable. However, there are also limitations in this regard, especially in relation to the interpretation of the information. These devices can report arrhythmic events, but without proper medical interpretation, they can generate concern in users.
Therefore, a cardiological assessment is necessary to correctly interpret these data, confirm or not their relevance, and act accordingly.
Electronic devices are a great tool in the early diagnosis of arrhythmias and prevention of cardiovascular events.
It is necessary that the information is validated by cardiologists and that they inform patients about the relevance or not of these data, avoiding unnecessary worries for the patient.