SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (WGEM) — Arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, is usually seen in older people, but can occur at any age. Between sporadic symptoms and heart monitors meant for adults, diagnosing it in children can be challenging. Ivanhoe introduces us to a pediatric cardiologist who has found an innovative solution using a device many children already wear.
Connor Heinz has big dreams of playing basketball as a point guard at his high school. Until recently, it was becoming increasingly difficult. He said: “My heart suddenly started beating really fast, really hard.”
Heinz’s mother Amy said: “It lasted about 20 minutes and then suddenly stopped.”
Heinz: “And then I had to leave the training because we didn’t know what it was at that point.”
At this point, Heinz and his mother Amy visited pediatric cardiologist Dr. Scott Ceresnak.
Scott Ceresnak, a cardiologist at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, said, “We suspected that Connor had an arrhythmia such as SVT, supraventricular tachycardia, or rapid heartbeat from the upper chambers of the heart. This is not usually life-threatening, but is usually very uncomfortable for patients.”
To confirm his diagnosis, Dr. Ceresnak had to measure Heinz’s heart rate during a seizure. He said, “We tried several monitoring devices for Connor, but we were never able to detect a seizure.”
That’s why Dr. Ceresnak suggested a smartwatch instead. It can also monitor the heart, but can be worn at any time.
Dr. Ceresnak said, “The key was to document an arrhythmia episode and really get a good ECG recording.”
Heinz then wore his mother’s watch whenever his heart started racing and also during basketball tryouts.
Conner said, “We put it on and it started picking up these crazy high beats.”
Amy said, “And so it felt like we were watching an episode in real time.”
After the diagnosis was confirmed, Heinz’s cardiac arrhythmia was corrected in a routine procedure so that he could get back to doing what he does best.
Dr. Ceresnak believes smartwatches will change the way hospitals treat children in the future. His next step is to launch a study to develop algorithms for smartwatches based on information collected from pediatric patients.
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