Why did my pulse oximeter say 0 bpm????

[sunbun]

Was having lots of PVCs and dizziness. EMTs came and checked me over. Said all my vitals were fine and my ECG was good. 

When I was watching the screen, I noticed the pulse oximeter that was counting my heart rate suddenly flipped from 110 bpm to 0 bpm, then after a second or two, went back to 110.

I forgot to mention this to the paramedic. The doctor at the hospital said my ecg was fine. 

My anxiety is acting up and I just want to know why the oximeter said 0bpm. Asystole? Machine error? I never fainted, but i might have been having a PVC. So I don’t know if maybe the pause and lack of perfusion was counted briefly as zero bpm. I have researched these things though and it seems unlikely.

The nurse told me these things are finicky and if it had really measured zero bpm I would have been on the floor. I have a pulse oximeter at home and sometimes it will say — or error, but never actually 0, as if it’s really counting 0.

[MomtoGiuliana]

So sorry.  I've been there.  PVCs are so disturbing when they are frequent--and add that to feeling dizzy--it's understandable you would have anxiety.

It sounds like you've had pretty thorough evaluation if you were in hospital and also just now seen by an EMT.  Is there a plan for further evaluation?

Keep in mind that on this forum we can share our experiences but we can't give medical advice.  

I don't have much experience with pulse oximeters.  I do know tho that when I had severe POTS in the past with a lot of PVCs and other symptoms that I became very fixated on my heart rate and on the frequent PVCs and it increased my anxiety.

Things that sometimes help me with frequent PVCs are increasing potassium and or magnesium intake (through food not with a supplement--although supplements are also possible, you'd want to talk to a dr before taking a potassium supplement in particular).  Sometimes I have been told my potassium or magnesium are a bit low.  Epsom salt bath or foot bath is a good way to get some extra magnesium from what I understand.  I even have done salt float therapy when in a flare up and it did help me feel better--it's very soothing if nothing else.  However it will likely drop your blood pressure (floating in warm water) so you'd want to be careful with that if you have low bp (particularly standing up too fast from the bath).

Another thing that helps reduce PVCs for me is getting IV saline.  In general this helps improve my POTS symptoms when in a flare.  My dr orders them for me at a nearby infusion center at a hospital.

[Alex D.]

I would suggest a 24 hour halter heart monitor,  This will detect the severity of Ectopic beets, PVS's and PAC's. An ECG is only a short snapshot.

My 24 hour halter monitor detected 22,000 ectopic beats.  This was out of 99,000 beats for the day,  1 in 4 beats was ectopic, I not am on a heart rhythm medication, Propafone, which has done wonders.  My Ectopic beats are far and few between.

Good luck!

[MTRJ75]

This might be kinda silly, but most times whenever my oximeter acts whacky it's because the battery needed to be changed? 

EDIT: Also, do you have a Kardia? I've often used both at the same time whenever I suspect a disturbance. This might be much more effective in recording one. I believe they cost about $100. 

[Pistol]

@sunbun - pulse oximeters can become loose on your finger with movement and stop detecting your HR.  This will result in a brief pause. As you said - a PVC can also cause a ( normal ) skipped beat after the premature beat, which is expected. Er staff are experienced and deal with their equipment every day - I would trust that if there was something going on they would have seen it on the monitor.

[Sushi]

21 hours ago, sunbun said:

When I was watching the screen, I noticed the pulse oximeter that was counting my heart rate suddenly flipped from 110 bpm to 0 bpm, then after a second or two, went back to 110.

A pulse oximeter is not measuring electrical signals from your heart like an ECG is—rather, I believe, it is ‘looking at’ the flow of blood through your finger like a wrist HR monitor that doesn’t have a chest strap—not nearly as accurate as a 12 lead EGG or a Kardia. When in doubt I use a Kardia. As someone with a lot of experience with pauses, they are not regarded as worrisome unless they are over 3 seconds. Pulse ox error is common though.

I also take an antiarrythmic because I have Afib without it—another pulse is that it has eliminated most of my ectopics. These are serious drugs though, and Electrophysiologists only prescribe them with a lot of discretion. And yes, the ER staff would detect any serious problem.