Key Takeaways
- The tell-tale sign of Atrial Bigeminy is a Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC) on every second beat of your heart rhythm.
- The occasional Atrial Bigeminy usually isn't a cause for concern, but it can lead to more serious heart conditions like Atrial Fibrillation (Afib).
- If you show signs of Atrial Bigeminy, contact your healthcare provider immediately to rule out the presence of harmful underlying conditions.
Got other questions on Atrial Bigeminy? See the Qaly guides on Atrial Bigeminy:
- Atrial Bigeminy vs Atrial Trigeminy on Your ECG
- Atrial Bigeminy vs Ventricular Bigeminy on Your ECG
- How to Read an ECG: Stanford Cardiologist Explains
- The Ultimate Cardiologist's Guide to the Smartwatch ECG
Introduction
Hello, heart hero. In your quest to identify that irregular heart rhythm you just felt, you may have come across the terms Ventricular Bigeminy or Atrial Bigeminy. With your trusty watch ECG now in hand, you may be wondering, "What does Atrial Bigeminy look like on my watch ECG?" In this guide, we'll help you see Atrial Bigeminy on your watch ECG. Let's dive in.
What's Atrial Bigeminy?
Before trying to identify Atrial Bigeminy on your ECG, it's helpful to remind yourself what Atrial Bigeminy actually is. (If you're confident in your Atrial Bigeminy knowledge, though, skip on ahead to the next section for some visual examples of an Atrial Bigeminy ECG).
To start, remember how your heart beats? It produces an electrical signal, which squeezes and unsqueezes your heart, which in turn pumps your blood to your lungs for oxygen and then out to the rest of your body.
Normally, your heart produces that electrical signal from your "sinus node" to generate a normal heartbeat. Sometimes, however, that electrical signal starts from somewhere else in your heart, where it isn't supposed to. This abnormal heartbeat is called an "ectopic" heartbeat. When that ectopic heartbeat starts in your heart's upper chambers, or atria, it's called a Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC). "Bigeminy" is a type of abnormal heart rhythm where an ectopic heartbeat happens every third heartbeat in the rhythm. Atrial Bigeminy, then, is when every second beat in your heart rhythm is a PAC.
So What Does Atrial Bigeminy Look Like on My Watch ECG?
To identify Atrial Bigeminy on your ECG, look for these tell-tale signs:
- A normal heartbeat followed by a PAC, for three or more consecutive cycles. The beat pattern is: normal-PAC, normal-PAC, and so on.
- An abnormal P wave, which can vary in size and shape.
- A normal QRS interval, between 0.08 and 0.12 seconds long.
For visual examples, take a look at Atrial Bigeminy seen on Qaly members' watch ECGs.
Is Atrial Bigeminy a Cause for Concern?
Atrial Bigeminy isn't necessarily dangerous. Though, if you have heart disease or other known heart conditions, Atrial Bigeminy can lead to more dangerous rhythms like Afib or stroke.
As always, if you show signs of Atrial Bigeminy, contact your healthcare provider immediately to rule out the presence of harmful underlying conditions.
Conclusion
Well, that just about wraps up our guide on what Atrial Bigeminy looks like on your watch ECG. We hope this could be of some help to you.
If you still need help interpreting your ECGs, don't worry, we understand how scary and confusing it can be to experience irregular heartbeats. That's why we created the Qaly app for you and for the hundreds of millions of people around the world who live with heart palpitations and abnormal heart rhythms. On the Qaly app, human experts will interpret your ECGs within minutes for clarity and peace of mind.
To get started with the Qaly app, grab the Qaly app from the App Store or Play Store today. If you have any more questions, or if you need our help in any other way, don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].
As always from the team at Qaly, stay heart healthy ❤️