Kardiomobile device

[Pauly1955]

I was diagnosed with A fib 3 years ago , don’t currently take any medication for it other than blood thinners .

My question is related to the Kardiomobile and whether people find it a useful device to have .

Kind Regards

Paul

[Engineer46]

I’m 75 and developed persistent AF with no symptoms other than irregular heartbeat at a higher rate (>100) than pre AF (70-80). I’m taking 2 x 5mg Apixaban and 1.25mg Bisoprolol daily with no side effects and heart rate now in normal range, around 80-90 bpm. Having looked at the ECG taken by my GP and seen the lack of P waves and irregularity that indicate AF, and given the difficulty in seeing a GP these days, I decided to buy a home ECG device.

I looked at Kardiamobile but felt that it was expensive as it has no display and relies on your smartphone. So I bought a Vitacom (Wellue) Pulsebit EX for the same price as a Kardia (c. £150). It has the advantage of its own display and comes with leads and sticky pad electrodes, which give a much cleaner reading than the noisy recordings you often get from touching pads with your fingers or pressing it to your knee.

You can download the recordings to a PC and send them to your GP if you become concerned. So I do find it useful, even though it continues to confirm that I’m unlikely to get back in sinus rhythm.

Thankfully, other than having AF, I am in good health and carrying on life as before - although I have cut my wine consumption by 50% as a precaution!

Best wishes,

Paul

[Pauly1955 in reply to Engineer46]

Thanks for your response that’s useful info for me , I’m trying to cut my Alcohol intake too but have the occasional lapse unfortunately 😏

[BobD Volunteer]

Depends how likely you are to become obessed by using it. If one can be structured and only use it in order to prove to your EP that you have AF then very useful but much better to get on with life than letting AF take over.

[Pauly1955 in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob , you are probably right there , think I’ll hold back on buying one for now 👍

[Hidden]

G'day,

My diagnosis was paroxysmal AF some 12 years ago. It is now hghly controlled by meds and diet. However, I can be asymptomatic. No symptoms, no feelings but be in AF. Other times I can feel generally unwell, it is on those occasions I use it (Kardia 6) to see whats happening. I might also use my BP monitor.

The point is that originally, 12 years ago my symptoms were feeling as if I were going down with flu. No cardiac related symptoms at all except falling BP. In the space of some 8 or 9 hours my BP dropped from around 136/80 to 76/50. Saw my GP urgently and he sent me to A & E who made the diagnosis immediately and where I was then detained for 5 days of tests.

I find given this back ground both bits of kit very desirable. Both come approved by NICE and the BP monitor will also say if I'm in AF. When I've used both on some occasions both confirm I'm in AF, even though I just feel unwell with no symptoms.

John

[Griffin9]

Hi Pauly, in my case it was money well spent. I had afib for a few years, but couldn't provide any readings to my cardiologist. I had ecgs which showed normal heart rythyms and tried a couple of 7 day monitors, but my AF wouldn't show itself when I needed it to.

I bought a 6 lead Kardia, set it up and put it in a drawer. One night I went to bed and sometime between the magical AF hours of 11:00pm and 2:00am my AF kicked in. I grabbed my device and excitedly recorded a few ecgs over the next half hour. (it's the only time I've been excited to be In AF).

I saved the results and emailed them off to my cardiologist, who said he was impressed with the readings and they told him what he needed to know.

Since then, I've had my ablation and I'm leading a normal life again.

[chrisfellrunner]

I have a 6-lead Kardia and use mine to capture abnormal ECG readings and then take them to my Cardiology reviews. I even used it on a hill walk on my wife, who had an episode of what I thought was AF for the very first time, and was able to give it to her GP as evidence (it was). It has been incredibly useful for this, but as Bob says you have to be careful you don't end up jumping on it all the time and becoming obsessed with it.

[Clyde12 in reply to chrisfellrunner]

My Af was also diagnosed from my Kardia as it hid away from all other ECG equipment.

[tranrover]

My cardiologist recommended I get a Kardia so I could show him what was going on. I have recently had an ablation and that consultant also asked to see my Kardia readings beforehand.

[momist]

Invaluable, I wouldn't be without it. Be warned though, if you have a 'high end' phone with filtering on the microphone, the older two lead version might not work with it. The newer 6 lead one almost certainly will, so long as it's an iOS or Android phone.

[malaekahana]

I have paroxysmal afib, diagnosed in October 2021, and I can usually tell when I am having an episode just because I feel crappy in addition to sensing the irregular heartbeat. I have been keeping a log of when I have episodes and all the various factors that might have been involved. I use my Kardia mobile every day to contribute to this log, and even when I go for several days at a time with no episodes (which I hope to extend as I rebuild my mineral levels and no doubt depleted magnesium), I like having the record of what my pulse was along with the NSR reading. It's nice that the Kardia keeps this on record, too. I think it will help me over the long run as I look for patterns. (And btw, the device might fail to read one day. It's not the battery but rather a needed update on the device's hardware or your phone's as the terrific support agents will point out.)

[Snowgirl65]

I was requested to buy a Kardia device by my EP after he performed my ablation last April. The weekly readings I was to take were then sent to the Arrythmia Lab at Cleveland Clinic, where I had the ablation, for my doctor to review. Other than that, I don't really use it since I know when I'm in a-fib -- I certainly don't need a device to tell me!

[Palpman]

I bought a Kardia 6L last week as my wife had cardiac arrest due to tachycardia and "thick" blood from dehydration causing the blood to clot in the Atrium.

The first 30 sec reading had her pulse at 74 but showed no P waves at all. It had 2 short episodes of 110 hb but the ECG said "Normal Sinus Rythm".

Although my wife says she has more peace of mind with having it I think it is ridiculously overpriced. Fair value should be about £40.00.

Then to get 3 or so more diagnostics on it you must pay £90.00 for a code. This should be included in the ridiculous price in the first place.

[Morzine]

I bought it , but I’ve hardly used it....I see it as a waste of money....I think you get to know your heart and it’s weird ways....it’s as far as I’m concerned an unnecessary tool, which could just make you check heart more, when it’s best to get on with our lives.....if I think my heats going fast I just feel my pulse....the main thing I think is to try and get in with normal life until proved otherwise and if you get a bad AFIB attack you’d know it anyway.....Sorry to all those that think it’s Kardia is brill....

Sue

[willec49]

I was diagnosed with paroxysmal Afib 3-4 years ago. I had the old

[willec49]

I was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Afib 3-4 years ago. I had the old, original 1 lead Kardia and then got the 6-lead version about two years ago. This device is so accurate that it even picked up a wide "QRS" Complex on the EKG and notified me of it which I emailed to my Cardiologist. I only use it if I think I feel an episode or even ectopics coming on. It's not the whole story but a convenient item to have in my tool box.

[Palpman in reply to willec49]

So how much did you have to pay for the device to show the wide QRS?

[willec49]

Around $150 from Alive Cor.....store.kardia.com/products/k...