Could my noisy valve be throwing off my monitor?

[Christian Biggins]

Hi all,

I'm new here, been a lurker for a few weeks and just joined last night.

I'm only 6 weeks post op, Aortic valve replacement (and extras ) - I am walking every other day and just for my own curiosity I bought a chest strap heart rate monitor. Last night when I walked, I peaked at 162bpm! :eek2:. Could my still unhealed sternum be allowing too much of my valve noise/movement through to my heart rate monitor? Like, could it be picking up 2 beats? Or an additional beat here and there?

Its just a thought, I havent tried the monitor on my wife or anything yet, I was just curious about whether this was possible, considering my valve is very noisy and my pulse super strong atm.

Thanks all!

Christian

 

[Mom2izzy]

In my experience, heart rate monitors are not very accurate if you have any type of "irregularity" in your heart rate. I find it most accurate to do it the good old fashion way...fingers on a pulse point counting beats and a watch with a second hand .

 

[Christian Biggins]

In my experience, heart rate monitors are not very accurate if you have any type of "irregularity" in your heart rate. I find it most accurate to do it the good old fashion way...fingers on a pulse point counting beats and a watch with a second hand .

Yeah, ill have to get a watch or use my stopwatch on my phone, i just wanted the phone app to track heartrate with distance, inclines etc.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[jpattillo]

I have the Garmin 405 running watch with HR monitor and it is always dead on with the old fashioned method.

 

[Christian Biggins]

I took my heart rate today and at rest I was at 88bpm, which is higher than normal. I'll check my rate the old fashioned way tonight against my monitor and see if its wrong or if my rate is just high atm.

Thanks guys!

 

[tprice54]

Keep trying! There can be inaccuracies in some HR monitors, but generally they work well, even with mechanical valves. Make sure you have the electrodes (on the chest strap) moist, or use gel, to make sure they get good contact.

 

[epstns]

Where many of us have trouble with monitors is if we have pacemakers. Some monitors are very erratic when pacers are present, especially if the patient is paced only part of the time. The monitor may pick up both the patient's natural pace pulse and the pacemaker's. Sometimes my monitor shows a heart rate in the 220's, which I know is wrong. . .

 

[RobThatsMe]

I think you need to turn the TV down while you are wearing it.

 

[yotphix]

I'll second the gel recommendation. I couldn't get accuracy or consistency at all with my aging Polar monitor until I started using an electrode gel. http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Spectra-Electrode-Gram-Tube/dp/B0002CA8RQ
I'd bet you could pick it up at a decent pharmacy or surgical supply.

 

[epstns]

I have always just wetted the contact pads of my monitors with tap water as I head out into the exercise room. . . works even now with a pacemaker. No messy clean-up, either.