Re:Heading to a cardiologist
by rootusrootus on Saturday December 08, 2018 @06:55PM
(#18638235)
If every otherwise healthy man went to their doctor for a checkup today, how many would have their Afib detected? EKGs are not routinely given during checkups, and Afib is not necessarily constant enough that a doctor will catch it during those few moments he has the stethoscope on your chest. And even if it is happening he may not pick up on it.
Afib is relatively common (2% to 9% depending on age), and so is outwardly healthy people dropping dead with no prior warning. The premise that a 24x7 Afib detector on your wrist will save lives is quite plausible.
Now, what you may get from this post is that you should get an EKG once in a while, and not buy an Apple Watch or other gizmo for that purpose, but to suggest that merely visiting the doctor will achieve a similar result is obviously incorrect.
Re:Heading to a cardiologist
by JshWright on Saturday December 08, 2018 @07:46PM
(#18638461)
Just because two things are "common" does not mean they are related. Afib is way, way down on the list of things causing outwardly healthy people to drop dead.
Afib is relatively common (2% to 9% depending on age), and so is outwardly healthy people dropping dead with no prior warning. The premise that a 24x7 Afib detector on your wrist will save lives is quite plausible.
Now, what you may get from this post is that you should get an EKG once in a while, and not buy an Apple Watch or other gizmo for that purpose, but to suggest that merely visiting the doctor will achieve a similar result is obviously incorrect.