Kardia mobile

[nemisis2]

Hi, Is the kardia mobile useful if you already diagnosed with AF, I was diagnosed five years ago, or it is used to self diagnose, saw it advertised and wonder if I should get one, Keep well all.

[Finvola]

I bought mine after diagnosis to catch episodes which hid from official ECG's and even a couple of 24-hour monitors. Also, I was interested in what was going on with my heart. In those days I took only rate control drugs which did very little except make me feel awful - the AF continued unabated.

My cardiologist and EP accepted the printouts from the Kardia and at my twice yearly review the cardio discussed any findings that I had. I'm so glad I have it - although I haven't used it in a long time - thank goodness.

[Hidden in reply to Finvola]

Hi, how easy is it to use and get printouts ? You have to link it with your phone and a printer I suspect .

Thanks

[Finvola in reply to Hidden]

I use mine with my iPad as I don't have a smartphone - it just has to be near the microphone. Your fingertips need to be damp for good conductivity and held as steady as possible. You need to be away from obvious electronic interference and the trace can be set for varying time from 30 seconds up to either five or ten mins - I forget which.

I have my iPad set up to send the trace wirelessly to my printer presumably in the same way as a smartphone. All in all, it is very easy to use - I find keeping my fingers steady the hardest part! It is possible to mimic other ECG leads with the single trace Kardia by placing it on knee and finger or chest and finger.

[Hidden in reply to Finvola]

Thank you for that info.

[Bayli in reply to Finvola]

Hi Finvola, I also have a Kardia and find it very helpful. But I have a few questions for you...when you say that it is possible to mimic other ECG....I'm not sure I understand how to place it on either the knee or the chest...and do you only use one finger in that case? Thank you!

[Finvola in reply to Bayli]

Hi Bayli - For knee/finger(s), I lie back and place one Kardia electrode on my upper left knee whilst holding the other with my right hand fingers, having dampened both first. The chest one is similar - left chest and right hand. More to follow . . .

[Finvola in reply to Finvola]

This is from the Kardia handbook

' You may also choose from two other placements: 

For a Lead II ECG, the left knee should contact the electrode closer to the top of the smartphone or tablet and the right hand should contact the electrode closer to the bottom of the smartphone or tablet. 

For an Anterior Precordial Lead, the device can be placed on the lower left side of the chest, just below the pectoral muscle. The bottom of the smartphone or tablet should be pointing towards the center of the body. '

[Bayli in reply to Finvola]

Hi Finvola, thx so much for replying! 😊

[pottypete1]

I bought one recently so that when I next have an appointment with my EP I can provide extra information about my rhythm that would otherwise not easily be available.

Pete

[nemisis2 in reply to pottypete1]

thanks for your reply, I think I will get one soon. Pauline

[Buffafly in reply to nemisis2]

Check first whether your phone is compatible, there is a list on their website.

[Hidden]

I think a lot depends on what type of AF you have. If it’s Paroxysmal, the type that comes and goes, then a Kardia is very useful for capturing evidence of an episode which is not alway possible with an ECG or Holter. If you have persistent or permanent AF then I’m not sure there is much benefit but others may have a different opinion......

[Kaz747]

I love my Kardia. When I feel my heart going funny I can take a reading and see what’s happening. If I’m concerned I’ll email my EP who will interpret it and let me know if I need to do something (like up my beta blocker for a few days).

[Shrek1974]

Hello Nemisis2, I have found mine brilliant. I have persistant AF but am quite asymptomatic so use this to confirm. Looking at the traces whilst in NSR gets you used to how your heart looks when functioning correctly too so the diagnosis software is a nice backup - no idea how I’m asymptomatic when I see my trace in AF, I should be bouncing all over the place..... It came in very handy after a medication switch that it turned out I was intolerant too with symptoms gradually sneaking in. It recorded a lot of ectopics for me which my cardiologist used to look again and switch my meds again. For such a handy bit of kit, to me, worth every penny & more.

Steve.

[nemisis2 in reply to Shrek1974]

Hi,Thanks to all of you for your replies, I will definitely be getting the machine, bit confused though, one shows just one line of readings and the other six reading, so not sure which one I should get. Thanks Pauline

[wilsond in reply to nemisis2]

The one line is the original older version . Still useful but limited in what it can interpret. I have one of these and find it useful to provide firm evidence for GP or consultant to see,as AFib and Flutter come and go.

Try not to get over obsessed with taking readings though as it can get to be anxiety causing !

[pottypete1 in reply to nemisis2]

If you want a Kardia to provide the EP with extra information then the six lead version is much better but of course as you will realise it’s dearer.

Pete

[Rubymurray25]

I love mine and although only use it very occasionally it proved a real help for my cardiologist when I did have a PAF episode which after the PIP ( Flecainide ) reverted me from PAF to Flutter. Good luck

[CDreamer]

I had one of the original versions circa 2013 which was in the form of a phone case. It was used almost daily for many years by both my husband and myself. My GP and EP both accepted the traces which I could email to them when required. After the case disintegrated and fell apart it still worked for a while before eventually failing earlier this year. I bought the new 6 lead version as a replacement, although I rarely use it these days, my husband does. I think it was the most used.long lasting and reliable bit of kit we posesss.

[Elbows]

If you can afford it get the six lead as it will give your cardiologist/electrophysio more information.

[Lbeat796]

I have just bought Kardia but will not work with my samsung phone. Now need new mobile. A very expensive business. I think a good idea to re ord any episodes

[momist in reply to Lbeat796]

Do you not have a tablet you could try with it? If not, then perhaps an old model tablet second hand might be a solution for you. I have an old Hudl2 that would work. If you want it, pm me.

[Lbeat796 in reply to momist]

Hi Momist, thanks so much for your offer .. very kind of you but my daughter is sending me one up from London.

Only a fellow sufferer would understand how desperate I am to get this Kardia working as sometimes you feel that doctors do not fully believe you. I do have old tablet but so old was unable to upgrade to IOS 10.

I have Cardiology appointment tomorrow. They just need me to take one of my arrythmias so they can diagnose. Ten years ir so ago had 5 day holter but just picked up the usual ectopics which is reason i opted for Kardia as have around 2 episodes a month on average.

Thanks again

LInda

[momist in reply to Lbeat796]

OK Linda, glad you're getting this sorted. Good luck with your AF journey.

[doodle68]

I have the original Kardia which I use with an Ipad to monitor my P-AF and to query any odd rhythms with the Kardia medical team (for £5).

I would defiantly pay a bit more buy the 6 lead Kardia if buying now.

Due to the rogue arrhythmias caused in some patients by Covid 19 requiring heart medication, it has been found that the Kardia 6 is able to record changes to the QTc which can be caused by some anti arrhythmia drugs.

Quote and links to the details below....

[Quote MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 23, 2020 – AliveCor, the leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-based, personal ECG technology, and provider of enterprise cardiology solutions, today announced that its KardiaMobile 6L – the world's only six-lead personal ECG – is now allowed for use in the measurement of a patient's QTc and detection of potentially dangerous QT prolongation. A prolonged QTc can lead to a potentially fatal side effect, called drug-induced sudden cardiac death (DI-SCD), associated with the use of several medicines now being used in the treatment of COVID-19.]

alivecor.com/press/press_re...

nsmedicaldevices.com/news/a...

I have been told when prescribed antiarrhythmic medication I need to be regularly monitored by ECG to detect any abnormalities and although the Kardia 6 has yet to be approved for this purpose in the UK by NICE, it would be good to be able to take my own recordings with the Kardia 6 and compare them to note any changes .

[Finvola in reply to doodle68]

Good to know about the QTc doodle - thank you.

[momist]

Definitely a good buy. I have no experience with the six lead Kardia, and to be honest, I don't see any great advantage as you would need a training course to interpret the results yourself. The single trace gives you all the information you would need, although obviously your GP, cardiologist or EP might like to see results from the six trace version.

Another consideration is that the single trace version uses high frequency sound to communicate with your phone/tablet, and not all phones are compatible even with the right operating system. There seems to be a problem particularly with high-end phones which may be due to the 'noise cancelling' microphone system. My latest phone doesn't work with my Kardia, but the previous three phones did. The six lead Kardia uses Bluetooth and should not have these problems.

Personally, I wouldn't be without it.

[irene75359]

I love my Kardia. I am not at all obsessed but I have an accurate record of how many episodes I have had, the action I took and how long my PiP took to work. The only time I ever sent a reading for analysis was when I had a severe run of ectopics which frightened me more that any AF episode had ever done.

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Please do not hesitate to visit the A F Association website where you can find information regarding the AliveCor Kardia Mobile's.

Many thanks

[Redmakesmehappy]

I love my Kardia, if I feel weird, not sure what going on, will use my Kardia . Most time it is normal and I can relax but sometime it shows AFib and I can keep record of what heart rate is and how long it last. Best $90 + I have ever spent. My EP was the one who suggested getting it. I have the one lead one, not sure if I would use the 6 lead. I use it with my iPad as I don’t have a smart phone. Easy to send to my EP to look at.