HRM question - erm, rather morbid actually

slieber

If you're wearing a heart rate monitor while exercising and you experience a heart attack, what would the HRM start reading? Just curious as to whether having it on actually would help identify if one is happening?

CharityD

No. It only picks up beats per minute, it's not capable of ECG tracing.

onehealthymomma07

i guess depending on the one u have it could graph the heartrate cycles some are very advanced, if ur seeing your heartrate go really wacky and eratic id get checked out, usually ppl have some sort of symptoms. some are known to be silent ..

mromnek

No. It only picks up beats per minute, it's not capable of ECG tracing.

I agree, its kinda like trying to diagnose a bad sparkplug in your car by using your speedometer.

Phoenix_Rising

This made me laugh :laugh:.
Good question!!

firegirlred

Depends on the location of the clot that causes the heart attack, or the cause. A heart attack can not be associated with any specific reading on a hrm

Warning signs that you might see an a HRM would include a rate in the 180's while you are resting, or below 60 while doing intensive exercise. Heart rates can vary from 0 to 200 and higher during a heart attack. It varies from person to person and heart attack to heart attack. I've even seen them vary widely during the course of a single heart attack. Most heart rates are not significant without any additional information.

If the hrm is based on electricity(ie chest strap), you might notice a mismatch between the readout and your heart beating. But without any symptoms, check your battery or for interference first!

slieber

Thanks! I was just curious. Something I read made me think of the question. :-)