Doctors’ Notes: Heart Palpitations

Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into heart palpitations and the rise of wearable technology.

With devices like smartwatches now able to detect irregular heart rhythms, more people are being alerted to potential problems, often without any symptoms. But is this early detection saving lives, or creating new challenges?

Joined again by Consultant Cardiologist Dr Pranev Sharma, the docs explore how wearables actually work, how accurate they are, and what happens when they flag something abnormal. They unpack the balance between prevention and overdiagnosis, and ask whether we risk medicalising normal bodily sensations. They also look at how decisions are made about treatment, and whether these decisions are changing as more cases are detected through technology.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Pranev Sharma
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer : Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed

At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.