AFAICS, there isn't a comparison table for devices that monitor irregular heartbeats.
Given the effort required to identify such devices and determine their capabilities, putting together a feature comparison table would require a community effort.
Presumably many would appreciate that.
Does anyone here have an interest in this?
I have some preliminary thoughts on table design, hosting, etc., but wanted to check first if there was interest here in pursuing this (at least to the point of setting it up so all could contribute).
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Prof. Grier’s webpages are very informative -- and it's wonderful he assembled that.
But it seems to me a tabular format would be a helpful front-end, and less cumbersome for initial orientation. (His pages would definitely be linked in a review column of the table.) Also, a community effort for that front-end might improve coverage.
May I please, and I promise without trying to offend, ask why?
Unless you are suffering from an irregular heartbeat that comes and goes and you are trying to get your medical advisor to see it why would you want to measure your irregularity?
And in that case, would not a 24 hour or 7 day halter not be better?
And I ask this in all honesty as relaively early after being diagnosed I bought HR monitors, and BP monitors, and was religious about keeping daily tables, and this despite many people on the old forum telling me not to. They were right, it focussed me too much on something which to be honest I had not control over.
I do understand if there is a specific thing you are trying to catch to show your medic.
> you are suffering from an irregular heartbeat that comes and goes and you are trying to get your medical advisor to see it …
Re: would not a 24 hour or 7 day halter not be better?
I did a 24-hour halter a year ago that didn’t show anything and I feel awkward about re-asking prior to next regular cardio office visit (which is a still a bit in the future).
I definitely notice irregularities -- which my spouse has confirmed by hand. So my interest is in having confirmation prior to next visit.
> And I ask this in all honesty as relaively early after being diagnosed I bought HR monitors, and BP monitors, and was religious about keeping daily tables, and this despite many people on the old forum telling me not to. They were right, it focussed me too much on something which to be honest I had not control over.
Understood and agreed; it’s only worth so much effort, anxiety, ….
My post here was to simplify it for others similarly interested in irregularities. I imagine you spent a fair amount of time looking for monitors, as it did me to get as far as finding Prof. Grier’s pages.
So that’s why I’m thinking others similarly concerned would appreciate a product comparison table that had fields for brand, model, irregularities detected (A-Fib, etc., …), data storage (# of readings, time), data transfer (Bluetooth, cable, …), data presentation format, form factor, links to reviews, links to manuals, ….
Where it would be hosted is another issue: Wikipedia doesn’t seem to host hardware comparison tables and, from what I’ve seen, there are only a few medical device comparison tables on the net. So if anyone has ideas re hosting as well as other suggestions re table design, that would help.
Right -- so this effort would start with, e.g., lohmantech.com/product/afib..., as mentioned on Prof. Grier's page; other devices not on Prof. Grier's page mentioned at healthunlocked.com/afassoci...; and somewhat in anticipation of future developments.
Might also be useful for those who are on treatment for AF and want to know if the dose is right - who prefer not to go into AF without realizing - since AF can beget AF and ultimately lead to restructuring - better to know and optimize the dosage or opt for ablation
Just 1 thought - as the majority of contributors on this site live in the UK therefor to be of interest - devices would need to be easily available worldwide, not just in the US.
It seems to me that the majority of people here use Alivecor - now Kardia - which I have found excellent and use because you don't need to buy or carry around another device, all you need is your smart phone.
Thx -- What if we include a column(s) for availability and make table sortable?
Your mention of AliveCor and @Kodaska's mention of apps for smartphones raises the issue of how to include software and services. Some are device-specific; others are (will be?) for multiple platforms.
I have an Omron HCG-801portable ECG monitor which my other half bought for me at a medical exhibition he was attending.
I really like it, although fortunately I rarely use it. It takes a 30 second ECG and gives a brief analysis and you can look at the trace or print it. I haven't ever emailed it but I'm sure it could be done.
It will store up to 300 readings and can be used as a diary.
The big advantage to my mind is that it can be used when AF is wild and weird. I have found that my AF slows and settles after a few minutes and it's nice to be able to see the improvement and the drop in beats per minute.
ECGs I have had taken in hospital have only shown a fairly settled irregular pattern, or NSR. I had a 7 day monitor but it showed nothing but NSR.
Nice that you got that -- AFAICS, that's marketed only to medical professionals. Should we include those? Maybe that's a separate table.
And thinking further re table design: maybe indicate user mode: sleep [my primary interest], awake; accessories available (e.g., leads); capabilities: basic vs with all accessories included.
I'd be interested in reading a comparison table with view to buying a heart monitor, but sorry, I wouldn't have the patience to put together a comparison table
Update: iiuc, Prof Grier still hopes to do a summary table after some other updates. That's certainly something to look forward to; and I'll hold off pursuing this further until that's done.
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AF & Irregular Heartbeat
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