Sanford Health cardiologist talks about AFib after own diagnosis

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, and one of Sanford Health's own cardiologists is sharing his experience with AFib to warn others.

Dr. Naveen Rajpurohit works to help diagnose patients with AFib, along with other heart conditions. The age range of patients he sees is wide, and there are many different causes for AFib including genetic history, illnesses, and some lifestyle choices.

"We see a wide variety of patients who have AFib. It could be a young 22-year-old who comes into the clinic with palpitations, to an 85-year-old who has some other heart issues and has atrial fibrillation," Rajpurohit said.

While episodes of AFib may come and go, they can also be persistent. Symptoms can range from heart palpitations, to others that may not be so obvious like prolonged fatigue and shortness of breath. Some people may not experience any symptoms at all.

Rajpurohit had his own run-in with AFib only a few months ago. He said he woke up after battling COVID-19 for 10 days, and felt his heart beating off rhythm.

"I woke up, it was my day off, and as soon as I opened my eyes and got out of bed, I could feel my heart was out of rhythm. Once in a while, we all have some extra beats here and there or an abnormal sensation in the chest, but it didn't go away," Rajpurohit said.

After that continued for about 10 to 15 minutes, he put on his smartwatch and it alerted him that his heart was out of rhythm and he needed medical attention.

"So I put my Apple Watch on and it did alert me saying there's atrial fibrillation," Rajpurohit said.

Rajpurohit said technology has come a long way in helping identify and warn users of potential health episodes or risks. He said people should still seek out medical attention if they get an alert, for more testing and a proper diagnosis. But he said wearable technology is a good start to help recognize those conditions.

"Those need to be looked at by a medical professional or physician, and there might be more testing that needs to be done in order to confirm the diagnosis, but it's a very good starting point. If there's an alert, seek medical care because there may be something serious going on, and it's good to be able to detect problems early," Rajpurohit said.