What Sinus Pause >3 Seconds Looks Like on Your Watch ECG

Key Takeaways

Sinus Pause >3 Seconds refers to a disruption in the heart's natural rhythm, where the sinus node fails to produce the electrical signal for a prolonged period, leading to a pause or temporary stoppage in heart activity lasting over 3 seconds. The sinus node acts as the heart's pacemaker, regulating its rhythm.
To identify Sinus Pause >3 Seconds on your watch ECG, observe a pause in heart activity lasting more than 3 seconds. Look for the absence of P waves during the pause, a consistent PR interval and QRS complex duration and shape, and a pause length measured from the R-R interval.
Sinus Pause >3 Seconds can be a cause for concern. Initially, it might be asymptomatic, but it can lead to signs of low cardiac output, including palpitations, chest discomfort, confusion, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, and bradycardia. The seriousness of the pause depends on its length and frequency, and individuals experiencing these symptoms should promptly seek medical attention to rule out underlying conditions.

Sinus Pause >3 Seconds refers to a disruption in the heart's natural rhythm, where the sinus node fails to produce the electrical signal for a prolonged period, leading to a pause or temporary stoppage in heart activity lasting over 3 seconds. The sinus node acts as the heart's pacemaker, regulating its rhythm.
To identify Sinus Pause >3 Seconds on your watch ECG, observe a pause in heart activity lasting more than 3 seconds. Look for the absence of P waves during the pause, a consistent PR interval and QRS complex duration and shape, and a pause length measured from the R-R interval.
Sinus Pause >3 Seconds can be a cause for concern. Initially, it might be asymptomatic, but it can lead to signs of low cardiac output, including palpitations, chest discomfort, confusion, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, and bradycardia. The seriousness of the pause depends on its length and frequency, and individuals experiencing these symptoms should promptly seek medical attention to rule out underlying conditions.

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‍Got other questions on Sinus Pause >3 Seconds? See the Qaly guides on Sinus Pause >3 Seconds:

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Introduction

Hello, heart hero. In your quest to identify that irregular heart rhythm you just felt, you may have come across the term Sinus Pause >3 Seconds. With your trusty watch ECG now in hand, you may be wondering, "What does Sinus Pause >3 Seconds look like on my watch ECG?" In this guide, we'll help you see Sinus Pause >3 Seconds on your watch ECG. Let's dive in.

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What's Sinus Pause >3 Seconds?

Before trying to identify Sinus Pause >3 Seconds on your ECG, it's helpful to remind yourself what Sinus Pause >3 Seconds actually is. (If you're confident in your Sinus Pause >3 Seconds knowledge, though, skip on ahead to the next section for some visual examples of a Sinus Pause >3 Seconds 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.

With Sinus Pause >3 Seconds, that electrical signal is produced from your heart's "sinus node" as it should be. You can think of your heart's sinus node as your heart's natural pacemaker.

But in a Sinus Pause of more than 3 seconds, the action of your sinus node fails, causing your underlying heart rhythm to pause or stop for a short period.

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So What Does Sinus Pause >3 Seconds Look Like on My Watch ECG?

To identify Sinus Pause >3 Seconds on your ECG, look for these tell-tale signs:

A P wave that is present in the underlying rhythm but absent during the pause.
Each PR interval and QRS complex duration and shape is the same.
A pause length over 3 seconds, measured from the R-R interval.

For visual examples, take a look at Sinus Pause >3 Seconds seen on Qaly members' watch ECGs.

Note: When sinus arrest reaches or exceeds 6 seconds, it is considered a medical emergency.

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Here's Sinus Pause >3 Seconds caught on a Qaly member's Apple Watch ECG. From the first R-peak to the second R-peak, it's just over 3 seconds long.

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Here's another Sinus Pause >3 Seconds caught on a Qaly member's Apple Watch ECG.

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Here's Sinus Pause >3 Seconds caught on another Qaly member's Apple Watch ECG. While it looks like there's heart activity in that stretch between the 2s mark and the 5s mark, it's more likely movement noise caused by the Apple Watch wearer moving their arm.

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Is Sinus Pause >3 Seconds a Cause for Concern?

Yes.

Initially, Sinus Pause >3 Seconds can appear to be asymptomatic, or without symptoms. Then, it can develop signs and symptoms of low cardiac output. Therefore, it's important to frequently look out for signs and symptoms of low cardiac output.

The seriousness of the pause depends on its length and duration. People with Sinus Pause >3 Seconds will experience signs and symptoms of decreased cardiac output if it occurs on a frequent basis. The pauses may also cause periods of ischemia (when cells are deprived of oxygen), hypotension (low blood pressure), dizziness, and syncope (loss of consciousness). Common symptoms include:

A sensation of rapid, fluttering heartbeats (palpitations)
Chest pain or discomfort
Confusion
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Fainting or near fainting
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Bradycardia

As always, if you show signs of a potential Sinus Pause over 3 seconds, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible to rule out the presence of harmful underlying conditions.

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Conclusion

Well, that just about wraps up our guide on what Sinus Pause >3 Seconds 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 support@qaly.co.

As always from the team at Qaly, stay heart healthy ❤️