Think carefully before yo spend £9.99 - it is nothing like as detailed as the old style review and told me nothing more than what was on the app - they put it up to £50 clearly got few takers and have now introduced a pretty useless service.
Kardia Clinician Review: Think... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Kardia Clinician Review
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dmac4646
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42 Replies
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Completely agree. I send ecg readings to my GP now.
yes I agree. I have used it twice in the last year and as you say , there was no new info than was on the advanced determination. I remember using it a few years ago and it was much more detailed. X
According to my GP the Kardia reports are reliable (he has the device himself which he uses with patients). The arrhythmia nurses at Barts also say this. If the reports are a bit brief, this seems preferable to making overblown claims which are not based on good evidence. Even with a full twelve lead ECG it isn’t possible to diagnose some heart conditions; that has to be done in conjunction with blood tests etc.. It’s a complex business.
I agree that they are reliable . My EP also accepts its findings although he always follows it up with a 12 lead ecg. I think we should accept that Kardia is only an indication that all is well/ not well and any concerns eg possible AF recording , should be followed up.
The reports however are definitely less involved than they were . If we pay for advanced determination anyway, they is really no need to send off for the cardiology report I guess. X
I subscribed and agree the diagnosis bit is of little value, however having unsubscribed I can no longer download the '30 day' reports which I did find useful. Having to enter data manually into a spreadsheet now! Grrr....
I agree entirely, used to get much more information back, now just a sentence stating the obvious and a total waste of £9.99. Will not be using the service again.
Samazeuilh2 in reply to
I’m wondering if this could be because it just isn’t possible to say anything more detailed about your particular ECG? If it shows AF and nothing much else, that might be because there isn’t any evidence of anything else?
in reply to Samazeuilh2
agreed, but if it just shows AF I wouldn’t have spent £9.99 to tell me something I already know. This is not the first time the response has been poor, previously responses were far more detailed.
Samazeuilh2 in reply to
Sure, but if you go to the doctors he might just tell you you’ve got a cold as you strongly suspected all along (going to see him was a bit of a waste of time) *or* that you’ve got pneumonia (in which case you’d definitely be glad you went to see him). The point is that whether the GP visit or the Kardia report is informative can really only be determined retrospectively and if you haven’t got a condition then you haven’t got it- there’s nothing much to say if you haven’t.
Strange,I pay the yearly £99 and after the 4th Moderna jab I went in to what I thought was my flutter that I had an ablation for in May.The very detailed reply came back saying Atrial Fibrillation with rapid ventricular response. Lots of info on it to.I forwarded it to my arrhythmia nurse.
was that recently - they used to give a lot of info as you describe but as someone else said the feedback was one sentence stating the obvious. ?
That should be 3 other Pfizer not moderna.
I’ve had a Kardia for couple of years, never ever paid for this. If I want it read I send to my consultant
Consultant?
Not my choice, but I didn't see a Cardiologist nor an EP nor a Heamatologist, and certainly not a Consultant, but those I saw, an Arrythmia Nurse and a Pharmacist, couldn't get me off their "official waiting lists" quick enough, with no avenues of "follow up".
I suppose if the need arises, I would need to do another eConsult. Bum thought that !!!!!
I pay to see my consultant, best £120. I recently wrote him an email asking what checks I should get from my GP and about a condition called Haemochromatosis, an inherited condition that is serious especially for heart disorders, my brother had it and my sisters a carrier. My GPS refused to get me tested 😡
So dear consultant pens me a letter with cc to GP, hey presto blood tests and an ECG booked👍🏻
Yes, it sounds like a sensible solution.
The initial fees I've seen quoted on the Forum for private consultations are around £250, so your £120 fee has surprised me. Is this a lower follow-on fee?
That was the fee ‘last’ time I went which was 2021, May well be more. Shoulder consultation was nearly £300! Wouldn’t mind but he was waste of time, no solution to neck & head pain🙄 who knew I needed a specific neck consultant 🙄
In Scotland about £200 initial - £150 follow on or prob zero just to look at ACG
Thanks for that feedback. Useful information. I was "economical" with my original Reply as I do have an email address of the Barts Arrhythmia Nurses, but when I sent an ECG previously for the attention of the particular Nurse I saw, I was told there was "no need" to send ECGs!
And I'm still waiting for this same Nurse to correct the significant factual mistakes she made in her original Cardiology Report to my GP. And I made this request for changes, agreed to by the Nurse, 4 months ago (and counting). So in effect that avenue in the case of an emergency request to look at an ECG would be about as reliable as a "chocolate fire guard", a saying employed by a.n.other on this Forum.
Fortunately I haven't as yet found myself in this dilemma. It's easy to appreciate that others have more urgent complicated medical situations to negotiate.
Did you get the TIBC (or “iron panel”) done? That should tell you what your TSAT % is, and you need to look at that in conjunction with your current ferritin levels. What was your ferritin last time you had it done?
You could pay for these tests, but certainly it’s worth trying the GP again because they can order these tests. They did mine every 3-4 months during the pandemic when haematology outpatients weren’t seeing patients in person but still wanted to monitor the blood tests. So…. they will do it.
Forget about asking for the genetic test before you’ve had these tests done. If your ferritin and TSAT % is high ie above range, then you can argue your case for genetic testing. My TSAT % is always very high, as in 80-90%. Borderline results are less reliable because the % can go up and down according to what you’ve eaten recently etc, it’s not particularly stable, but being consistently above range backs up a high ferritin — which can also increase for reasons not related to haemochromatosis.
Haemochromatosis is not always “serious” although my dad was a worst case scenario and died prematurely because of it, but in his time the genetic mutations were not even known about, and there weren’t the ultrasounds and MRI scans there are now. It’s awful that we have to push to be taken seriously but in my case I did have consistently out of range blood test results with no alternative explanation. So that’s what you need to do, and if you get nowhere with the GP you can order these tests online from a commercial blood test company. You shouldn’t have to with a family history but it’s better to know one way or another. And the sooner the better, really.
I suspect I may only be a carrier. GPS don’t want to do anything. I’m not getting any checks re PAF. Think it’s a mick take I have to pay. My Consultant cardiologist once seemed to be surprised I was there instead of my Drs. I can take Kardia reading and BP reading but I can’t read one’s that need attention
With haemochromatosis it’s the iron levels that matter because it’s the iron overload that causes the damage in the long term. The mutation on its own doesn’t do any harm just by its presence. It’s how much iron is in the body that matters, and that is what your treatment is based upon, not on whether or not you have the mutations. If you can’t get anywhere with your GP or consultant, keep an eye on your ferritin. If you remain within normal range you don’t need to worry unnecessarily but at the same time its best not to be complacent. I have one sister with haemochromatosis and another who is a carrier. The one who is a carrier actually became anaemic after having her kids, but she’s more or less normal as far as her iron levels go and even as an older person she is incredibly youthful and in excellent health. I’ve also heard of carriers having high levels of iron and needing venesections, though that’s quite unusual. But it does happen, so just keep an eye on those ferritin levels. If you can, it’s a good idea to be a blood donor. I’m not allowed to donate blood as I have ME/CFS which means a lifetime ban for me, but it’s often recommended for people with haemochromatosis provided they get the OK to be a blood donor.
Many years ago I’d donated blood, I’m A Rhesus negative. My husband is A positive, yes did get an Anti D injection after daughter. Thanks for the information 💗
Did wonder if I can now I’m on drugs and have T2 diabetes 🤷🏼♀️
I don’t think T2D is a disqualifier, if I remember correctly. There is a website that explains who can and can’t donate blood. Personally, I don’t agree that ME/CFS should be a disqualifier but that’s the current decision. My sister’s daughter won’t have the genetic test because she “doesn’t want an illness” but I encouraged her to be a blood donor so as not to put herself at future risk of iron overload. Perhaps I’m biased but I think it’s a good idea to keep iron levels on the lower end of normal ie ferritin definitely under 75-ish as opposed to 150 or 200, even if that’s considered “normal”.
Just checked. AF rules out being a blood donor, so not an option 🙁
😢
My consultant cardiologist said if I do have it, I’ll need a specific heart scan,
I had a cardiac MRI in January to check for the consequences of iron overload in the heart. It’s just an MRI scan with contrast like any other MRI. But remember, it’s the iron deposition that causes the damage, not the C282Y mutation. It’s always about the iron levels so if you have normal ferritin levels you are unlikely to have haemochromatosis-related cardiomyopathy. Check your blood test results if you have them at hand. You’re bound to have had your ferritin levels checked at some point in the past, several times over. If they’re normal you have less to worry about.
Remember that most people with AF don’t have haemochromatosis and most people with haemochromatosis don’t have cardiac complications. You’re not destined to be doomed even if you do have haemochromatosis.
ECG !
The clinical reviews have their place if you can't figure out the ekg and don't want to wait for your ep to review. But clinical reviews aside, the additional fee also includes the "advance determinations" feature such as "wide qrs" which for me is worth it.
Jim
Maybe it was included with your purchase price for the first year? At least in the US, it's a monthly fee.
kardia.com/blog/advanced-de...
Jim
I used to send my Kardia results via email to the consultants PA. If there was a problem I’m sure I’d have been contacted. The reason behind this was so the consultant could see a picture rather than a one off. I think its not going to be so easy as it was as his PA has changed jobs 🤷🏼♀️ But, having said that, I managed to get him to give me recommendations on what my GP’s should be doing and got the 8/12 lead ECG today!!
If you have the advanced determination through Kardiacare, it is likely you will not need a clinician review most of the time.
I did not have it and recently experienced a new rhythm on my Kardia. It came back as unclassified. I had almost just let it go, but then decided to request the clinician review anyway because it bothered me that the tracing looked like nothing I had seen before - and they determined it was Ventricular Tachycardia (the dangerous rhythm, not SVT), and informed me if it continued I should seek medical attention. This was the night before Thanksgiving, so there was no chance of hearing back from my cardiologist until 2 days later. I forwarded it to my doctor, who promptly Friday after Thanksgiving had me scheduled for a stress echo, with again a warning that if it happens again to go to the ER or if extended to dial 911.
It is my understanding though, that even if I had the advanced determination, it would not have told me ventricular tachycardia.
I wouldn't say it's useless, and over time most of us will learn through usage whether we need to be concerned about a tracing due to getting used to our "normals", and won't request a review unless needed, as in my case.
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