Chris is a dedicated member of the Patient and Public Network. Driven by his personal experience of heart diseases, he hopes to help create a future where lesser lives are lost to heart diseases.
I was first alerted that I had atrial fibrillation (AF) by my watch whilst skiing in the Alps. My watch possibly saved me from suffering a stroke as I had no idea that I was starting to suffer from AF. I did an ECG on my watch and the rhythm was all over the place. Even I could tell something wasn’t right. It said I was still in AF. I didn’t know what to do, I was in a foreign country, but I called my close friend, who’s a doctor in the UK, and sent him the ECG. After seeing it, he told me it looked bad and advised me to go straight to the hospital.
I was in for two nights while they got everything under control. I’m terrible for not going to the doctor, so I’d have carried on, thinking I’d picked up a virus. My heart rate in the hospital was 150, and that was while lying still. I’ve never had AF that bad since, but that first time was by far the worst. If I’d carried on skiing, it could have been very serious. If it hadn’t been for that smartwatch, I would have had no idea.
What was interesting was that when I told the cardiologist in the Swiss hospital about the watch, he was really intrigued. He could see all the data, it showed the first episode had started around 3:00 am, even though I’d slept through it. It turned out to be a really useful diagnostic tool for him as well as an alarm. I was the first patient he’d seen who’d come in because their watch had alerted them.
Ever since I have been interested in Heart Research UK’s work into wearable atrial fibrillation devices and have become a member of its Patient and Public Network.
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Sharing your journey of living with or knowing someone who has had a heart condition is invaluable. Your experience inspires, helps and supports people across the UK.
Gilbert is a dedicated member of the Patient and Public Network at Heart Research UK, helping build the future of innovation and patient care.
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Paul is a member of the Patient and Public Network, sharing his experience to develop better cardiac research and improved patient care.