Pacemakers and the Freeze-Framer

People with pacemakers can usually use the Freeze-Framer. In most cases pacemakers only take over the job of pacing the heart when the heart rate drops below or above a preset rate that is programmed into the pacemaker. When the heart rate is within the normal range, the heart is under its own control and the Freeze-Framer will reflect the persons HRV just like in anyone else.

In some cases however, the pacemaker is always pacing the heart. In this case the Freeze-Framer will only reflect the pacing done by the pacemaker and therefore will not be able to show change in HRV due to changes in nervous system activity. Also, if you have an arrhythmia, you will see red lines in the heart rhythm graph, indicating that either an extra heartbeat occurred or a heartbeat was skipped. If the arrhythmia is persistent and results in many red lines during the session, the Freeze-Framer will not be able to calculate the coherence scores accurately. In this case you can use the heart rhythm display screen and look for the sine wave like pattern.