Hi all,
Just wondering which of these devices do you think would be best? I have had 2 cardiac ablations and last heart tspe showed extra beats so cardiologist wants another tape done after all this pandemic has settled but I'd like to be a able to detect irregularaties at home. I would value your opinion thankyou. Cant seem to get other pics up but one is £99 & is advertised on tv its aviclor I think it's called
The general consensus is for a Kardia with afibbers. Reliable and accurate for doing your own ECG.
Personally I use the Beurer ME 90 and highly recommend it. You don't have to connect to a phone or tablet to get an instant reading. You get a good ECG when you do though.
Overall the Kardia is most popular so maybe that's your better pick. However the Beurer wins everytime for me - certainly when you have practiced a few times and know how to use it properly - the unit is very pocket sized and great for travelling. You can do a quick check and then a full ECG if it shows a problem on screen.
Both are worth the investment.
Paul
Thankyou I will look into the one you have also x
go for the alivecore, they do two versions two lead and 6 lead.
They are trusted by professionals to give accurate results when diagnosing AF and other issues.
Available direct from the maker here at £99 and £149 respectively
They can become a bit of an obsession and cause anxiety for some (me included so it sits at the back of the junk drawer in the kitchen)
Hi Mike thankyou for your advice I was very strongly keen on the kardia as seen on tv & I seen the one for £149 but didnt know the difference, I sometimes get flutters etc so would be handy to check & if it stores results etc then I can relate them back to my cardiologist which is handy. Do you think then that the £149one would be better? I know it's quite a bit of money but would be good for the future x
I have the 6 lead - it will show your cardiologist a lot more info. I had an original Alivecor (Kardia) back in 2013 & it just gave out this spring- I think I paid £45 for it so certainly had very good value as both my husband & I used it daily. I hardly use it at all now but Hubble still does regular traces for monitoring.
I think you get a free months trial where you can store the results but I just emailed them to myself and stored them on my laptop or printed the dodgy ones out for my doctor's appointments
I have the 6 Lead Kardia. It's great. No need for the extra subscription. It diagnoses for you: A-fib, Bradycardia, Tachycardia and arrhythmia. To learn more I did a D-I-Y course on interpreting ecgs by reading online articles and studying youtubes.
When you have a episode, take a reading with the Kardia, print it out or email to your doctor. Two trivial points that baffled me to begin with. 1) It has an UP arrow in the middle! B) Wet your knee, or contact so no reading.
I expect you know you get an app on your phone to take the readings and get the results. I have to admit that 1/20 times it doesn't work for any apparent reason. So, I restart the phone, go to another room, and its working again.
Thankyou for your reply so I have to wet my knee 1st? & hopefully the app will work fine, is the name of the app in the instructions with kardia device? X
Yes officially you use sanitiser alcohol / gel, but I use saliva! The app is easy to find in the "App Store", "alivecore kardia". The newish 6-lead hardware is much more satisfying than the older 2 lead version, which I bought two years ago.
Thankyou so much for your replies they are greatly appreciated. I have had a few symptoms today so hopefully my device will be here soon so can tell what's happening or I'd its just indigestion! Which i have had a lot of last few weeks & docs upped my lansoprazole weeks ago x
The other one is The Kardia, by Alivecor. This is £99 and the one I have. It is excellent and well respected by Cardiologists (mine ordered 20 for his patients to use). It records your ECG, and you can either pay for an account to store them indefinitely or just email to your account and store them on a computer or cloud storage.
The one in the picture looks similar to the Kardia. Personally I would pay the extra for the Kardia as I know it works and is reliable.
Kardia also produce a 6L version which has a third contact pad and shows more ECG lead traces. Not necessary for tracking AF, but if you have other heart issues, it may be useful.
Ask advice of your Cardiologist, EP or arrhythmia nurse.
Hi john yes I see both but wasnt sure the difference so £149 would be better? Will it definitely store the readings for being able to look up & send on to cardiologist etc if need be? X
It will - but there is a regular subscription to store info on their server but you can email yourself a report or send email direct to your cardiologist from the app.
You have to pay to store readings in Kardia cloud (?) but you can easily upload to a free cloud storage facility so you don't have to pay a subscription. You can also pay to get a professional assessment of your recording but I wouldn't if you can send recordings to your cardiologist via pdf or printout - don't bombard him though!
I would go for the Kardia because cardiologists are familiar with it and it has an official rating. GPs tend to be a bit suspicious and can mark you down as neurotic if you show it to them so be careful - ask if they are familiar with it first 😊
I have had mine for three years. It has worked perfectly all this time, with just one new battery. it is glued to the back of my phone. I use it daily, not because I need the reassurance, but in case I do have a relapse, I will be able to look back and see how it developed.
When I bought it, it came with a free account that stores readings on the cloud. (not just ECG, but you can input other details such as weight, blood pressure, RHR and medication. (I haven't used the rest of these as I have a health spreadsheet set up). To get these features now you have to par $10 per month, for a "Premium Protection Plan (which includes Device Replacement, Cloud Storage and Security, Personalized Heart Health Report and Medication Tracking)" . I wouldn't do this, I would just store the readouts on my phone. You can also convert them to PDF and email to yourself for more secure storage in the even t of phone failure or loss
The 6L has sensors to connect with each hand, as well as the leg. The ordinary Kardia gives a lead I ECG, which is enough to identify AF or Flutter. The extra £50 gets you Lead I, II, III, aVR, aVL and aVF. The other five readings show different routes of electrical activity across the heart, but I am not sure what their specific use in diagnosis is.
I don't think the 6L would be any better for monitoring AF, and it does not give you any extra free storage. If I was buying again, I would probably buy the basic one.
Kardia (alivicor) is generaly accepted by many EPs.
AliveCor:
store.alivecor.co.uk/?ds_rl...
I have one - it was ok, but, eventually, it stopped working, and I now have an Apple Watch 4 - which is OK (one lead) - but much more expensive.
Apple watch 4 is more expensive, however after paying for storage fee on Kardia for two years $10. Per month...it added up.....also had many inaccuracies because of palpitations.....Apple watch provides me with lots more than ecg....and it saves all my afib readings. Yesterday had a distance apt with my EP...and sent My one lead ECG....Dr note returned ..”came through perfect....great “.
I still have my Kardia but resent the fees...kardia even has taken over my Blood Pressure cuff..Omiron. After a year of tracking my BP on line, suddenly all my readings disappeared, with a statement. “These are not without monthly premium payment.” No warning, just gone. I am a FORMER Kardia fan. Just information.🤷♀️
Hi all thankyou so much for all the advice I went on to the alivecor website & bought the 6 lead one so hopefully it will be good enough & hopefully I figure out how to store the readings on my phone & convert them to pdf incase I need to forward them on to medical professionals. I will not bombard my cardiologist but if I get any symptoms I will let him know. Thankyou again 😁
We'd be interested to know how you get on and if the 6 lead proves useful 💜
Think we must have pressed the 'buy' button about the same time.... I had an ablation last September but am now showing signs of tachycardia so my EP has suggested buying the same unit (if I can afford one) as it's intermittent. let's see how we get on !
Hi chrisfellrunner
Yeah I've had 2 ablations last one in October last year & get flutters & feel a bit woozy for about 15 secs & now & again the odd palpitation still but they cant see me till all this virus settles. At least now I'll be able to record any incidents. Good luck with yours & be sure & let me know how you get on. X
Hello, if you decide to purchase the Alivecor Kardia, there are two versions.
The single lead, which is designed for detecting AF, tachycardia and bradycardia is currently available through AF Association at a subsidised price of £80 + £5 P&P
Alternatively, we also have a limited stock of the new 6 lead Kardia. This gives a more indepth reading, and may be used for diagnosis of other arrhythmias.
If you are based in the UK, both products are available through our online shop heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...
When you purchase through AF Association, we receive a small donation from the manufacturers, so would be grateful if you chose to order through us.
Thank you
Rachel - AF Association Patient Services
Hi RachelAdmin
I wish I knew this earlier as I would of bought through AF Association but I ordered mine yesterday 😫 x
Are these machine readouts useful to EP's? I have had paroxysmal afib for 10 years but rarely see an EP. I am now awaiting ablation, obviously delayed. Would it perhaps help, given the current lockdown and phone consultations, to buy one of these machines. I wouldn't know how to interpret an ECG.
The ECG can either be printed and given to your specialist or saved and emailed. Many people find the device useful to capture an episode and show their doctor.
I just received my device this morning so was very quick delivery & I have now created an account & set app upon my phone etc & I took a 6 lead ekg & was normal so thats good. I have just restarted my bisoprolol this morning instead of propranolol so this should help better. I think its definitely a good investment for being able to know when to get help or to send to doctors/cardiologists to review. I bought the £149 6l one but you can also take just a 1l reading on it too. I am in no way flush with money but thought it was a good investment with the problems I have x
Hello Teresaw40.
Can i just ask you is the 6 lead one easy to set up? i'm not a whizz on apps etc so although i think a Kardia Alivecor would be useful for me i'm a bit apprehensive about getting one . Thanks
Hi Sals100
It is very easy to set up. The device itself is ready to go as soon as you take it out the box & the app you download is very straightforward and you go on the app & select record EKG then use device as shown & it shows on your phone then I save my readings to my one drive. I would definitely advise buying one if you think it will be beneficial to you. I have a lot of indigestion issues & I sometimes think it's my heart but this morning I did a reading & it was normal so set my mind at rest that it must have been indigestion. You can either choose to do a 1l reading or a 6l one. Hope this helps you decide x
Thank you for for your reply. I will order one through AF association. I too suffer from indigestion and am on lansoprazole but you never quite know what is indigestion and what is something more serious. I had an ablation done last March but am still under the cardiologist as i get very out of breath going up hill and my heart races like mad so hopefully with a Kardia i can give the cardiologists some results when i see him in June as understandably the tests i was due to have have been cancelled. Many thanks for your help and good luck.
Hi Sals100
Your very welcome and I had my 2nd ablation in July last year & I am still under cardiology too. I was changed to bisoprolol again on fri but have been all over the place since then so doc on phone says go back on propranolol until I speak to dr Francis (cardiologist) & see what he suggests. I had no problems really until recently but I had been on bisoprolol since ablation then about 7 weeks ago changed to propranolol to help headaches I was having daily but since switching back to bisoprolol it hasnt been agreeing with me so gonna take propranolol today & hopefully that'll help & cardiologist will give further advice soon. Paramedic called on sunday morning at 5am & I was in af then but they said better to stay at home & speak to doctor. My doctor said if you get admitted it'll be admissions unit 1 & that's a covid ward!@@ terrifying so trying to stay out of there! Take care & stay safe x
Goodness that would have been scary being in that unit. I have struggled with getting the right tablets that agree with me it does seem to be trial and error. I have ordered my Kardia so looking forward to its arrival. Good luck with your tablets and stay safe x
I have been using Kardia Alivecor for years and it has worked very well. The software is also good making it very easy to send readings to your doctors. The battery eventually decreases (the speed at which it does is dependent on how much you use it) and then the signal/connection becomes weaker but the batteries are cheap and easy to replace. I probably change mind about once a year and I use it a lot.
My doctor didn’t seem to think the extra leads were important for AFib but it probably depends on what they are specifically looking for. I have two of the single lead ones (I keep one at work).
I also use the Apple Watch which is particularly useful if you are out and about and didn’t bring the Kardia with you.
They are definitely useful to have. At Christmas I was visiting family and my Dad wasn’t feeling great. I checked him with my Kardia and sure enough he was in AFib so we went to the hospital. Handy device to have.
Best wishes for your health.
Shawn
Hi LondonEngland
I bought the 6lead one in the end so should be here soon. Sounds like I've done the right thing buying it and that was good and handy that you were able to detect your Dads af! Very valuable piece of equipment. X
I have used a Kardia for the past two and a half years. It has been accurate and generally easy to use. There is a newer model out that provides a 12 lead ECG. It sounds like you might need to be a contortionist to use it, but that’s just me. Other folks swear by the Apple Watch. I’m not willing to be that spendy. There are some other devices out there.
For me it’s the Kardia
My EP ask me to get the Kardia as I was having some episodes he could not catch but I was sure,they,were AFib, got the Kardia, love it and it showed AFib , sent to doctor, he out me on medication and blood thinner. It is worth every penny I paid for it. $99. Regular price but on sale now for $89.highly recommend everyone,with heart problems that may be AFib ,get one.
That's great to know that it helped you detect the Afib & it's good that the doctors are able to rely on the readings too! Think I have definitely done the right thing buying one x
Since my 2nd ablation I've developed tachycardia- I was able to pick this up on my Kardia and send through to my consultant. I'm currently using this to monitor any further episodes and to keep him informed. A worthwhile purchase.
Hi lindat15
I haw had 2 ablations also so it's annoying that I'm still having episodes. Cardiologist said that my last tape didnt show Afib but did show extra beats so needs to get another one done when this all settles down which I'm hoping will be soon. When you get the tapes though they are only for 24 hours mostly so dosent always detect anything so the kardia is gonna be so helpful to detect abnormalities as & when they happen fir proof for doctors. X
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