World Heart Rhythm Week: listening to your heart saves lives

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder. People as young as 40 have a 1 in 4 chance of developing AF in their lifetime, making them 5 times more likely to suffer a stroke. In an effort to increase detection and improve stroke prevention, FibriCheck is honoured to partner with global atrial fibrillation advocate, Arrhythmia Alliance, to increase awareness around the importance of knowing your heart rhythm.

Listening to your heart could prevent a stroke

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, detection and diagnosis of AF continues to worsen, owing to delays in life-saving intervention and access to care. This has only compounded an already challenging situation for clinicians, due to the intermittent nature of AF. In the early stages, irregularities are often missed during scheduled appointments, making detection and timely intervention difficult to address. While heart rhythm checks can be done by checking your pulse, many people struggle to do this regularly. The result? Repeat clinic visits, long diagnostic waits and avoidable A&E admissions, to the frustration of patients and providers alike.

Regular self-checks have never been more important, as 75% of AF related strokes could be avoided if more people are aware of their heart rhythm, not just their heart rate. Timely detection not only reduces the risk of suffering a debilitating stroke, it also saves lives.

Know Your Pulse and FibriCheck: a great match

As part of this year’s ‘Know Your Pulse’ campaign, FibriCheck is supporting and empowering people to digitally self-check at-home with their smartphone. As a CE certified medical software solution, FibirCheck transforms an everyday smartphone into a medical device – delivering a diagnostic grade analytics report that can be shared with a healthcare provider for follow up, in cases of suspected irregularities.

Self-checking with FibriCheck is as easy as downloading the app and placing a finger on the camera of a smartphone for 60 seconds. The app provides instant analysis, and where irregularities are detected, the results are reviewed by medical professionals. Affording peace of mind and ensuring confidence in the results for treating healthcare professionals. This approach not only supports safe, shared and engaged self-care, but evidence informed decision-making for the next steps in the healthcare journey.

“Arrhythmia Alliance has always encouraged people to get into the habit of regularly checking their pulse because it could save their life. We believe technologies, like FibriCheck, are a great way to do this,” says Trudie Lobban, MBE, Founder and CEO of Arrhythmia Alliance. “They are simple to use and allow a person to wireless send information to a healthcare professional without the need to travel to a clinic.”

Bieke Van Gorp, FibriCheck Co-Founder and NIA Fellow, adds: “AF is a silent killer because episodes can be mild, infrequent, even symptomless in the early onset. Unsurprisingly many people are unaware they are even at-risk, often dismissing occasional palpitations until it’s too late. By providing an on demand option to the public, this year’s ‘Know Your Pulse’ campaign aims to improve population health and reduce the barriers to access by meeting people where they are. We are proud to partner with the Arrhythmia Alliance to realise a future where avoidable cardiac deaths are a thing of the past. Improved condition awareness and early detection will go a long way in reducing AF mortality rates as well as the individual burden and societal impacts associated with its comorbid complications.”