this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2025
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You're pretty much correct. AF is a heart rhythm abnormality, and if it persists, like it seems to here, it renders the heart unable to pump blood. It appears he might have been undergoing a prostate exam when this happened, since that's the usual reason for a digital rectal exam. You'd have to assume the doctor knew they had this condition to begin with.
Digital here means "using fingers" rather than "not analog", right?
Would the reverse be to use the anal-log?
Most people can't handle that without a digital warmup first
Yes indeed.
And "sinus rhythm" in this case would be... normal sinusoidal heart function, right?
Incredible. Thanks for the translation.
i choose to believe it means rhythmic sneezes
~~Nope. If I recall correctly all other interventions failed, so this was a hail Mary that happened to work~~
See other commenter below
You recall incorrectly. It was a check for GI bleed prior to anticoagulant administration prior to cardioversion. They were literally running through pre-procedure tests in order to do the standard treatment for AF.
Source: The paper itself
Interesting. That area of the body is pretty sensitive, I can see how it might generate enough sensation to affect other areas of the body.
Specifically it's very possible to stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps regulate heart rhythm, with an exam like this. This is a known effect, but typically in the context of a possible adverse effect of some procedures (e.g. enema).
Why is heart rhythm abbreviated to AF and not HR or something?
HR is "Heart Rate" and AF is "Atrial Fibrillation". "Heart Rate" is just how many times the heart beats in a minute. "Atrial Fibrillation" is an abnormal rhythm of the heart beat and the rate at which the heart beats in AFib can be normal or fast.