Charge 5 Heart rate reading too high.

[PNW_oldfart]

My wife's Charge 5 is showing a heart rate almost twice of actual. Her heart rate was verified on an EKG with a reading of 56 while the Charge was showing 117. 
* I restarted the device several times with no effect on the high reading. 
* I cleaned the back of the device  

* She wore my Sense on the wrist and it showed a rate 62.

* Was considering factory resetting, but not sure how to do it.
* I may be able to return it, CostCo has a good return policy (got 5 months ago)

Any suggestions welcomed.

Best

[bowtieted]

Interesting my 5 doesn't record heart rate....get error msg that "not enough heart rate data available"  

[DavideFitbit]

Hello, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @PNW_oldfart @bowtieted. 

Thank you for sharing this information about the issue you've been experiencing with your Charge 5 and that you already tried a few troubleshooting steps. 

If you haven't done so already, I recommend that you try restarting the device again using the three pulse restart method mentioned here below, instead of the restart option found on the Charge 5 itself: 

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times, pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.

In addition, please follow the instructions in this article to improve the accuracy of heart rate information and check the information mentioned here about other factors that could affect your heart rate reading, as this has been useful to other users who have experienced something similar. 

Let me know if you had already tried these steps and you continue to experience the same inconvenience. 

I'll be around. 

[PNW_oldfart]

I tried the reset from the cord and it is showing her in AFib. Jumping from 58 bpm to 127 bpm.  She had heart surgery 3 weeks ago, was in Afib last week and the had to perform a cardioversion.  I want to accurately measure her heart rate.  I am having her wear my Sense for now until I figure out what is going on with her Charge 5.  

[PNW_oldfart]

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions.  I tried to restart from device menu and from the cord. The readings are getting progressively worse. Now says heart rate is over 130 when manually checking is 67. I also used my Sense to verify the heart rate.  The Charge 5 is clearly having issues and is less than 5 month old.  Will be taking it back to Costco today for hopefully an exchange (we still like the device). 

[charleskn]

When the optical trackers have issues, it is common for them to read twice or 1/2 the actual HR. How does the Charge 5 behave if you wear it or if you switch to the other wrist?

I have found issues with the HR if the Fitbit is too tight or too loose. I personally get better results if I wear it slightly looser than is described in the instructions.

[PNW_oldfart]

Thank you for your response and suggestions.

One of the 1st steps I took in attempting to resolve the issue was to clean the back of the Charge 5 with a Bausch & Loms cleaning solution and a new lens cloth. 

I have switched writs and have tried it on a different person ending up with the same results.

Costco only covers returns for 90 days for the fitbit.  Costco gave me the customer service number to contact Fitbit  (877) 623.4997.  Once I contacted them, they repeated all the suggestions DavideFitbit gave. They had me factory rest (clear user data) twice.  It worked fine for about 20 min and went back to abnormal readings.   

We have compared the same wrists with a Fitbit Sense and it gets results that match what the blood pressure cuff and manual reading show.

We have also worn the Sense and Charge 5 on separate writs at the same time showing different heart rate results.

My wife had open heart surgery last month so accurate readings are very important to us.  I am going to have her wear my uglier Sense and I will wear her Charge for the next week so it can collect data.. if it is not resolved by midweek, I hope to get a replacement or repair. 

[DavideFitbit]

@PNW_oldfart Thanks for taking the time to share these updates and all your experience with the accuracy of heart rate data. 

It seems that you already tried all the basic recommendations that are usually helpful with any heart rate accuracy issues. In this case, I do recommend that you continue the communication with the Customer Support team so they can provide you with the next steps. 

Thanks again for sharing all your feedback and comments. The team continues to work to improve the Fitbit experience and your feedback is an important part of that process. 

[charleskn]

@PNW_oldfart You might check the Quantified Scientist on YouTube. He does lots of testing and reviews of medical wearble devices, such as Fibit. None of the Charge 5 reviews I've seen, or my personal experiences over the last 5 months, have shown this behavior, but it's obviously a problem in your situation. Having non-persistent AFib myself, I understand wanting the most accurate data possible. Good luck.

[DavideFitbit]

@charleskn Thanks for sharing this information! 

Have a good day. 

[PNW_oldfart]

Thanks for your post @charleskn. The device continued to be problematic, I had her wear the Charge 5 and my Sense, switching writs when we had to charge so we can compare readings.  Her Charge 5 screen finally went black and Fitbit customer support started the warranty replacement/repair process.  I will have her use my Sense until her replacement arrives.  Our experience with the Charge 5 has not been the best.

Just to be on the safe side her cardiologist is going to have her wear a 24 hour monitor tomorrow.   

I will check out Quantified Scientist, always interested in learning new things.

Best

[charleskn]

I am glad you're on a path to remedy things. My cardiologist gave me a Zio Patch, when I needed to monitor my heart for two weeks. Much less cumbersome than a holter monitor, but there are down sides. For me, I had to shave (no biggie) as the patch sticks with adhesive tabs. Initially the glue didn't stick, and I used KT tape to keep it in place, which worked well. Eventually the glue stuck, and it was awful removing the device. It would be bad if you had sensitive skin or for older folks that might have skin prone to tearing. If I had to do it again, I'd try to see if they would let me just use the KT tape. Over the course of a couple days and showers, the tape loses it adhesiveness, and becomes easy to change.

The DC Rainmaker is another good source for reviews on devices. So far, my personal experience with the Charge 5 (since June 2022) has been pretty good, but not 100%, which I wouldn't expect.

• The few times I triggered AFib, which lasted overnight, I did receive alerts. Note that the AFib/irregular rhythm detection "doesn't work", or won't report if your HR is over (if I remember correctly) 120 bpm.
• I have had rare occasions where my heart rate measurements were wonky and high at the start of an exercise, but then settled down to real readings after a few minutes.
• Walks, runs, elliptical, weight lifting and daily wear has given me good HR readings. My Charge 5 (and my older charge 4) always struggles to give me good heart rate readings when I am rowing.