Hi everyone. Would anyone mind giving their opinion or findings regarding the Kardia ecg monitor by Alivecor, if you have one or used one. Also do cardiologists like them or trust the ecg from them ?
Kardia monitor: Hi everyone. Would... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Kardia monitor
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Equish
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yes they are excellent I have one that records accurately when I have AF and the cardiologists who help us run events to find people with AF in our shopping centre all use they to diagnose too
Agree with Rosie. Wouldn’t be without mine tho don’t use it that often.
My cardiologist and EP both accepted printouts from my Kardia and were very grateful to have them. Two GPs were very dismissive, one was very interested.
Excellent tool for helping to identify AF and other arrhythmias - on the spot so that an episode can be caught instantly.
I bought mine six years ago when they were a bit of an unknown factor to many medics where I live. My cardiologist and GP were happy to accept the printouts as evidence that I was not in NSR.
There is now a six lead version available, I think which gives more detailed information for analysis. I find my Kardia useful for family members to check on ectopics,
That’s interesting. I haven’t see the 6 lead one. Thank you
The Kardia gets great reviews all round.
However I bought a Beurer ME 90 when I first had a-fib and still use it. It hasn't let me down yet and you can check your heart using just the unit - you don't have to connect to your phone / tablet to get a reading. If you do a full ECG on your computer the results seem to be spot on. It's another to consider although the Karda does seem to be ideal for most people.
For me the Beurer also gets top marks.
Paul
Thanks Paul I will have a look at that one too
I got some false positives for Afib, which scared the hell out of me—I was using it to catch SVT. You can google it, but I think they are very good at always catching actual Afib, though they can misread pvcs etc as Afib. Also, my cardiologist said it couldn’t tell him the difference between a SVT and an atrial tachycardia.
They can also cause some anxiety as they will often give an ‘unreadable’ reading if you’re having some ectopics.....leading to worry about what’s going on
Understood. Thank you
I think that’s because it’s hard to distinguish anyway. I’ve had differing views , not on AF, but on other atrial regular occurrences from cardiologists looking at a hospital ecg I had done
Yes - Excellent 5 * rating. I have emailed my ECGs to my EP - helps to bypass the very tedious very outdated hospital protocols to get an opinion.
Mine - original model from 2013 - has just fallen apart so ordering the new 6 lead one when we get home. Can’t complain though as had extended regular use by 2 of us!
PS - the inventor of the Kardia occasionally responds on this forum. Such a nice guy & an amazingly clever man with both medical & bio engineering credentials. The Kardia was originally tested by the AFA.
Talked to my cardiologist last week about recording possible SVTs ( " cardiac rhythm disturbance") in the future and he suggested getting an Alivecor. He emphasised stay very calm and relaxed when taking a reading as otherwise it may not be clear what's going on. So it looks like an investment is coming up.
No experience of the Kardia, but I use a Heal Force PC80-B (about £80 on Ebay). The advantage is that it's completely self contained, no smart phones involved, just hold it against your chest for best trace, (or between your hands) and in 30s you have a very impressive heart rhythm trace.
If it's Afib you're looking for the P wave or absence of it is very clearly shown.
I don't know how big the memory is but I've got traces on the internal memory going back 3 years, and of course you can store all this on a computer and print/email the traces etc.
Might be worth considering.
Good luck
In a word - Brilliant. My consultant recommended it and i was able to send him reports from it which he asked for
Fantastic I bought one of the first ones in New Zealand and got premium free for life
It not only diognoses A/F but any rhythm it finds it will say at the bottom of the reading what it is
it even diagnosed inverted t waves which had my cardiologist sending me to Wellington hospital where they found I had semi blocked arteries what a brilliant device
I cant wait for the 6 lead to come here so I can buy it.
Dont hesitate get your own you wont regret it
Brilliant. Used it at an event in our town centre at the weekend.
Everyone seems to say a big yes so I think it’s a yes. For me it’s a no, I didn’t like the inconclusive news that I got a lot of......I think it’s individual choice here of how you respond to results. My cardio did recommend it though.
I stopped using mine and rely on my pulse . I found it was also something I was doung daily when I got it.....afib for me is better forgotten not reminded of....but that’s just me.
Sue
I got one last month as GP used one on me found the info on app very interesting read about different readings. Last time doc was talking gobbledygook about the waves now I get it !
So, how do people use it? When you feel you are in AF and/or at certain times in the day? It's not a constant measure, so it doesn't show frequency. Also just useful for PAF not persistent?
I use mine when I think I'm in AF or any time my HB feels odd. I also take a recording from time to time when my heart is feeling good to demonstrate my resting HB and to contrast with my 'abnormal'. You can set the app to remind you to take a reading before you get up but I don't bother. I suppose it would show variations in persistent.
I use it for PAF, and if I get repeated unclassified events, as I have on a couple of occasions, for nine bucks you can get a technician to look at it and give him more specific response within 30 minutes. My EP and Cardiologist appreciate it, and I find it very useful to monitor the specific ending and beginning of any particular episode, so I can keep an accurate record to report to an EP. I’m trying to decide whether to have a second ablation, so this kind of detailed report is useful to me. And I find it very difficult to take my own pulse when I am in AFib, so I find it indispensable.
Good,simple to use and can share results by email to my EP.
Confirms self diagnosis of symptoms .
If you are a worrier,some people say they got a teeny but obsessed with taking readings but overall very useful tool. X
I use mine to email the readings to my EP at John Radcliffe. He is very enthusiastic about it and can request my readings from me then I get a call to tweak my medication, if required.
I have the Snap ECG and wouldn't be without it now. It has helped me to understand when I am having my flutters and not to mix these up with indigestion associated with IBS. Yes the hospital and GPs rate them, in fact Kardia and Snap are becoming common place in GPs surgery. My husband used mine as he felt tired all the time....discovered a really low heart rate....took the printouts to GP and he was referred to the hospital 👍.
I wouldn't recommend it if you are the nervy type as it can look a bit worrying at times but my flutters are only seriously noticeable for short spells.... otherwise I'd be running to A&E all the time 😀 I use mine purely for me... And to keep as a record for if I need cardiologist advice in future.
PS. I have a pacemaker and they checked at the hospital that it was safe for me to use.
Hi Equish
As I understand it these monitors are only good for a point in time, I never know when I am in PAF or Tachycardia, as the latter has become more prevalent recently I tend to use my Boots blood pressure monitor which gives me the point of time reading showing AF if present and of course my H/R and blood pressure.
The other thing I use is an Oximeter which I bought at Lidel for £14.00 and this shows H/R & O2 in the blood and your heart arrhythmia and when its in or out of sync you can see the heart beat shown as sharks teeth in a continues reading.
I am going in on Saturday for an Ablation for Flutter so hope I will not need these devises in the future ,
A caveat to that is of course I will be checking as I do now about three to four times a day and recording the information which I send to my E.P regularly.
Hope its some help
Hi, echoing the other comments, I think Kardia are great. I was recommended to get one by my electrophysiologist and I managed to catch a few dodgy rhythms on there which led to me getting an ICD fitted.
It may sound extreme, but getting that Kardia and capturing those dangerous rhythms (which I had no idea I had) may save my life one day.
I find my Kardia very useful . know when I am going into P-AF and use my Kardia to confirm that is so and to keep track of my heart rate during the episode and the length of the episode.
The Kardia app is on my Ipad so I can record and save episodes in an easy to view format .
Great way to pick up some arrhythmias. Post ablation I've had few episodes and usefully showed some were actually atrial tachycardia rather than AF. My EP finds both Kardia and Apple Watch useful - as I have Kardia he's happy for me to monitor meantime and contact him if/when I go into Atrial tachycardia. Def a great buy now although wasn't particularly useful when I was in persistent AF pre ablation.
Ok. Why wasn’t it useful when you were in persistent AF may I ask.?
I diverge from your question even though I have 3 monitors (to check on each other like Airbus computers), but I have ordered a finger monitor so I can take an instant pulse reading anywhere, especially on vacation. I have learned that the most important action to stop an tachycardia event, is to hit it very early with beta blockers. The finger monitor means I can check my pulse as soon as I get a few palpitations to see if I am running at 150 pulse or 68... I can do it in a restaurant or airport terminal or anywhere...... The pulse rate is everything to me, so I can leave the blood pressure stuff to my home monitors...
Mine has been great for detecting Afib, though my EP did review one of Kardia’s clinician’s recent Afib diagnosis and found them incorrect, if that makes any sense.
Also, when I went into a-flutter, the device was not able to indicate that. Just noted it as tachycardia. This is the original version.
I have one and it worked very well, however my cardiologist suggested an Apple watch (the latest version includes an ECG). I now have one and it is excellent - It takes an ECG very quickly and easily and it automatically sends a copy to my iphone - I can then easily forward a copy to my cardiologist. The watch also periodically checks pulse for AF symptoms.
+1 for the Kardia. It saved my sanity when I first started with AF, and yes, the EP looked at the readings, briefly, and obviously approved of it's use. I have been emailing some of the readings to him intermittently over the last two years. However, I don't use it any more as I was bought the Withings MoveECG watch for my birthday last year, and that produces similar results much more easily, and means I don't have to carry an add-on to my mobile phone. I love the Withings more!
I have the Withings Move ECG as well as Kardia, and its easy to use without getting your phone out. I had SVT recently and my EP not convinced about the readings on the Withings watch but confirmed SVT and also the reading when I went back to NSR...so now have a 7 day holter to confirm just what ectopics etc are going on and any little runs of Af or Aflutter!!
Thanks for your input.
I'm surprised he was suspicious about the Withings record, as it looks generally very similar to that produced by the Kardia. I suppose he was just being cautious, as the MoveECG is still somewhat new and unusual, and has now been replaced with their more expensive and rechargeable version that also reads pulse rate continuously. TBH, after wearing a FitBit Charge2 HR for a couple of years I wouldn't want to go back to constant recharging and checking my pulse. And anyway, non of them are any use when in AF.
Yes, he was just being cautious and wanting to now have a holter to check a weeks worth of ECGs!! At least I was able to show him the Withings print out of the scary event I had a few weeks ago, in the middle of York on my own!! Im just hoping A Flutter/AFib etc is not rearing its ugly head after three and a half years and 3 ablations!
Thanks. Hope you continue being well and it was just a blip
I bought a one lead Kardia,I am happy with it. I took it with me to my GP appointment, showed him how it works and he was amazed, said he’d been told about them by my Consultant Cardiologist but never seen one. I had to show him again so he could video it and it showed my ectopic beat just for the video 😂
My EP from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation recommended it to me. I use it every day. Got mine for $99 and attached it to my iPhone (not sure if they've ported it yet to Android). You don't have to purchase the yearly subscription which is another $99. My condition was WPW which was cryo-ablated recently. The Kardia monitor did not have an algorithm for my WPW so it would come up as "Unclassified". Two days before and right after my ablation, the device showed "Tachycardia" for several days until my heart went back to "Normal" and now always shows "Normal". My body had to get used to not being on my beta blocker, Sotalol HCL 80 MG 2x/daily for 17 years. I highly recommend the device.
Mine was great when I was paroxsymal. Since I’ve been out of rhythm for the last couple of months, it’s a little less useful, though it gives me good heart rates.
Thanks.
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