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Smartwatch detection of new-onset monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in pregnancy
  1. Jenny Y Mei,
  2. Liwen Xu and
  3. Tina A Nguyen
  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jenny Y Mei; jennyyangmei{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Smartwatches provide health tracking in various ways and there has been a recent rise in reporting cardiac arrhythmias. While original studies focused on atrial fibrillation, fewer reports have been made on other arrhythmias especially in pregnancy. We report a pregnant patient who presented at 34 weeks’ gestation with palpitations. An ECG recorded through her Apple Watch showed ventricular tachycardia. Hospital ECG confirmed monomorphic ventricular tachycardia likely caused by increased sympathetic tone from the gravid state. She was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit for close monitoring with intravenous anti-arrhythmic agents; however, the rhythm persisted. She underwent a caesarean delivery and the arrhythmia resolved post partum. She later underwent a catheter ablation, after which she discontinued all anti-arrhythmic medications with no recurrence. This case highlights the importance of requesting relevant digital health information, if available, from patients in our modern era. Controlled clinical studies are needed to validate such practices.

  • Arrhythmias
  • Pacing and electrophysiology
  • Health informatics
  • Obstetrics and gynaecology
  • Pregnancy

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Footnotes

  • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content—JM, LX and TAN. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript—JM, LX and TAN.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.