High pulse rate

[swwalden1]

My BiPAP therapy is no longer working effectively (AHI=33 last night), and I'm working with my sleep doctor to try and figure out what to do. As part of this effort, I am recording my SpO2 and pulse nightly.

My oximiter, a couple of times a week, records a very high spike in my pulse rate--usually right before I wake up. I need one more post before I can post a link so I will reply to this thread with an image of the data.

I showed this to my doctor and he initially though it was a recording error. He then said it might be heart fibrillation but seemed unconcerned.

Has anybody else seen this, and if so what was the cause and what did you do about it?

Steve

[swwalden1]

My BiPAP therapy is no longer working effectively (AHI=33 last night), and I'm working with my sleep doctor to try and figure out what to do. As part of this effort, I am recording my SpO2 and pulse nightly.

My oximiter, a couple of times a week, records a very high spike in my pulse rate--usually right before I wake up. I need one more post before I can post a link so I will reply to this thread is an image of the data.

I showed this to my doctor and he initially though it was a recording error. He then said it might be heart fibrillation but seemed unconcerned.

Has anybody else seen this, and if so what was the cause and what did you do about it?



Steve

Sorry I got a message I'm not allowed to post images. What do i need to do?

[Crimson Nape]

I was just reviewing my sleep report from last August when I saw your post. I noticed that it was noted that I when entered REM my pulse would go to 102bpm and I would enter into "wide complex tachycardia". I now have some googling to do.

Posting images - From what I could find, you needed 8 posts before you can post an image. This was done to deter spambots and spammers.

Here is a link to aid in posting images:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ttachments

Good Luck!

[swwalden1]

Here is the image of the oximeter data
https://picasaweb.google.com/10054833467...6214256658

[DocWils]

This looks more like the fingerling shifted and produced noise. If this is something to be concerned about (and these devices are lousy for diagnosing even the slightest irregularity with heart beat, sorry - they just aren't reliable for that and pick up way too much noise - they aren't actually designed to act as more than a primitive pulse monitor, and not a good one that - their main aim is to record the sO2sat levels) you would need to wear a holter monitor. In the meantime, how are you securing the fingerling to your finger, and to which finger?

In addition, I would have needed to see the report and an expanded view of the incident to gauge how much time it took. But first view looks more like noise - you rolled over on it or whatever. Note that there is no spike in the sO2sats or degradation either....

[swwalden1]

I tape the oximeter to my middle finger.
Here is a blow up of the incident https://picasaweb.google.com/10054833467...8448475442

[DocWils]

Hmmm... is this an isolated incident or this every time you start to arouse? The spike happens for only a very short time, less than a minute (ignore the little high spike at the end, that is noise) and there is no significant change in the sO2sats, so if this is a one off, forget it. If this is every night, then you might need to consider having a holter monitor for a night to see if you can replicate it. It might be related to a blood pressure spike on arousal, or it may be nothing at all. Without an EKG, it would be difficult to tell, and even with an EKG, it may be within normal boundaries for your system (odd as it sounds).