Kardio Mobile ECG

[Lynthebin]

Does anyone have experience of using this device and app to detect AF and has it proved useful? I am thinking of purchasing this but would like to know what other folk think of it. Only recently diagnosed and finding it very worrisome. Any advice would be appreciated.

[sassy59]

Hi, l have the Kardia single lead but purchased Kardia care for one year costing £99. I find it very useful as I can share information with my GP and Arrhythmia nurse. I also have an Apple Watch. Xxx

[Lynthebin in reply to sassy59]

Thank you for replying. Definitely considering this purchase.

[BobD Volunteer]

Very good device. Results accepted by most doctors. Only warning is do not let it take over your life as it is far too easy to become fixated on checking rather than living. AF may be in your life but it should not be all of your life.

[Lynthebin in reply to BobD]

thank you for the advice.

[Jetcat in reply to BobD]

that’s very true bob. I found myself taking far too many unnecessary ECGs.

[LadyLawson in reply to BobD]

great and measured advice as usual Bob

[mjames1]

For many, including myself, Kardia, or similar devices like the Apple Watch, are essential for managing your afib. They document your arrhythmia's so you don't have to stress and guess. And the results can be shared with your doctors, which help in both diagnosis and treatment.

I've used both the Kardia Mobile and newer Kardia 6L. Both are excellent, but the 6L has better connectivity and the ability to take a six lead ekg, which can be can be helpful in diagnosing certain arrhythmia's. The Apple Watch is also very good, but I'd start with the Kardia.

Jim

[Jalia]

I've had Kardia single lead for years, in fact I'm on my second one now! I've had cardiac Registrar on phone asking me to send in a reading from this when my husband was diagnosed with AF. We discovered his AF when testing with Kardia at home and consulted GP with evidence ! So , definitely recommend !

I have to admit that at the beginning it was my new toy and I tested quite frequently for some months ......some might say years !! It only comes into play these days when I suspect something is amiss. I would hate to be without it.

Even today I'm surprised that some medics have not seen one and have lost count of the times I've had to give a demo!

[doodle68]

If only I had known about Kardia sooner I would not have had to wait 6 months for a diagnosis because my episodes of P-AF were infrequent to begin with and (there was a long wait to have a loop recorder fitted) I had to try to get myself to a hospital for an ECG for a diagnosis and that was really difficult . The delay could have resulted in a stroke because I needed to take an anticoagulant.

I wouldn't be without my Kardia which I use with an Ipad, I know myself the moment I go into AF , the Kardia helps me to confirm what is going on keep track of my heartrate .

I recently missed a telephone clinic appointment, my new phone was on silent and the nurse rang early . I had been waiting ages for the appointment because my condition has got so much worse with almost constant episodes lasting days. When I managed to contact a nurse a week later and told her of the changes she asked for some Kardia readings to confirm frequency/any changes which I sent .Based on the readings I got another clinic appointment within 3 weeks.

Sometimes the Kardia readings looks strange, I have twice sent them off for analysis which cost £5 (£9now)and came back in 24 hours reassuring me there was nothing to worry about.

My Kardia is the original model and has been worth every penny.

[GrannyE]

I have one of the first Kardia and it is excellent. My doctors don’t look at it (never acually see a doctor and never speak to the same one twice)and they are not interested but I do it from time to time. It just confirms what I already know but I feel that it is interesting to KNOW. If I have an emergency then I have a record as to what has been happening. At the moment I either have A/Fib or supraventricular Ectopy but my QoL could be worse. Have to be thankful it is not worse.

[Coco51]

I am on my second Kardia. It has been brilliant. I got it after my second ablation when I was getting episodes of AF again. The EP said are you sure it's AF? When I showed him the traces I had printed out, there was no room for doubt. He was surprised they were so good. I showed my GP too and he was so impressed that he bought one for use with patients, and it's now on his desk in the surgery.They are quite sensitive to electrical interference and it took me a while to find the best places in the house for using it. I think that's because technically my phone model isn't one that's compatible with the Kardia (there's a list on their website). But that said, it still works fine in spite of that.

I agree with Bob about avoiding overuse. But I definitely recommend it.

[WillowHawk]

I would never have known I had AFib if not for my Apple Watch. Now that I updated the watch with my diagnosis, it doesn’t wake me up, which I appreciate since Im supposed to sleep through it. Many times having the heart information has helped me relax when I actually was not in active AFib. In my case it’s hard to tell. Glad to hear about the Kardia if I need it someday.

[Poochmom]

I have the Kardia 6 lead and it has been instrumental in determining whether AFib or ectopics as sometimes they feel The same. Definitely recommend the 6 lead.

It doesn’t detect flutter but instead it says unclassified. Since if ectopics, it tells which one, pvc, pac , etc. when it says unclassified I knew when I had flutter.

[Lynthebin in reply to Poochmom]

Thanks for your input.

[Sniggetts]

Hi there,

Absolutely agree with everything everyone has said. Having been recently diagnosed with PAF myself, I decided to purchase the 6L Kardia . It has been fantastic, I managed to catch lots of AF & other bits n bobs , sent it to my cardiologist and has quickly got me onto the required treatment.

Best wishes, let us know how you get on. 😊

[Lynthebin in reply to Sniggetts]

Thank you

[Gladstone001]

Brilliant bit of kit!

[Hammerboy]

My 6 lead is invaluable for being able to send an ecg to my nominated EP who carried out my 2 ablations . Saves me having to get one done at my surgery and allows him to give me immediate feedback if required. As Bob says don’t obsess on using it which is easily done but see it as a useful diagnostic especially , as in my case , post ablation .

[Boouie]

Morning Lynthebin,

I bought one of these and from my perspective it’s an excellent device. Instantaneous indicative diagnosis which I used to help direct my treatment pathway. Having it available at any time is a game changer and for an ungrade (£10 / month I think) you can upgrade the detail of the diagnosis and get results referred to Kardia for a 2nd opinion. Most importantly you can download the results and share them with your clinician. This was suggested to me to get and I reckon it took months getting a hard and fast diagnosis.

Kind Regards,

Boouie

[Lynthebin in reply to Boouie]

Thank you for taking time to reply.

[Ppiman]

I have stopped using mine as I found the ten pounds charge per month not worthwhile. It works without this, of course, but then really only tells you that you have AF. Well... you likely know this without the Kardia. Most of mine just say, "Inconclusive" and, worse, without paying the tenner, I cannot even view past recordings made when I was paying.

Frankly, I got fed up and saw then as too much a money-making company.

For me, my Apple Watch is its equal and far more convenient as I use an iPhone. There is now, though, a much more useful product available from a Chinese company called Wellue that gives a very comprehensive and free AI analysis that can then be shown to your GP or specialist. Sadly, at present, only the expensive 24-hour holter version has been approved on the UK, but I gather the cheaper models will be available at some point.

Steve

[Goldfish7 in reply to Ppiman]

You can email your kardia results to yourself after taking a reading and save it as a pdf on your phone or pc. But I agree - they are going too far with the monthly charge.

[Ppiman in reply to Goldfish7]

Yes - thanks. I did that with the AF and some of the odd ones. I got a bit tired of paying for what seemed a poor return. They might need to improve now they have some real competition coming along.

Steve

[Octaviascout]

I was diagnosed with PAF 4 years ago and used my Kardia regularly for a couple of years. However I now have an Apple watch which I use instead so the Kardia is lying in a box in a drawer if anyones interested ?

[Rubymurray25]

I recently had a 7 day Holter to monitor a recent change with my heart....nothing I don't think happened in the period, however yesterday I had a real flutter and recorded on my Kardia and have emailed across to my cardiologic as requested. They really are brilliant , I have the single lead £99 model.

[allotmentman]

Hi, I have occasional AF and use the Kardia mobile and an Android phone to monitor my situation. Very useful and the Dr is also happy that I have one and accepts readings from it. After my initial bust of activity I only use it to check if I feel something is amiss otherwise it stays in the drawer.

[GranmaWendy]

I got one of these , recommended by my cardiologist, and it has proved very useful. its easy to use and has the facility of being able to send the reading to your cardiologist

[PrivateRyan]

It's a fantastic bit of kit and I've used it to send incidents of AF to my cardiologist. The only thing to be aware of is that it isn't compatible with every phone, so be sure to check before purchase.

[Goldfish7]

I've had the kardia single lead which was great for recording my PAF incidents and was the only device able to read.my high hart rate when in PAF. I purchased the 6 lead Kardia a couple of years ago which is even better. I now know that I get atrial flutter along with paroxsysmal artial fibrillation. The flutter does not show up in lead 1 but lead 2 (and some other leads) - my specialist nurse showed me how to identify it - its quite obvious once youve been shown it. So I wouldnt be without it. I also pay for the kardia online service which I feel is overpriced but gets you 'advanced determination' ie it can identify a few more heart arythmias - but not atrial flutter.

I wouldnt be without my Kardia - I find it comforting to use and it lets me know how serious my heart incidents are, if meds are getting my heart rate down to acceptable levels, if anything odder appears to be happening to my heart rythm, etc. It allows me to make an informed decision about contacting 999 or 111 for medical aid and provides enough useful information to hopefully get a reasonable response from them. Hope this helps.

[VinnyR]

I bought mine when I was in afib. It detected it for about 5 days and then stopped. This was exactly consistent with my afib attack.

I trust the machine. But consider what you are trying to achieve. My reason was I wanted to prove that my afib was linked to covid and wanted to evidence this to my DR.

My secondary use was if I "felt odd"

Then I wanted to know if it was afib as I needed to take 5mg of bisoprolol.

Good luck.

[Marandellas]

hi

I agree with everything said on this forum

Worth every penny

Went to see

My cardiologist yesterday and they couldn’t find my latest test results.

Was so pleased to be able to show him the readings I had taken.

[LadyLawson]

I would not be without my single lead Kardia and I may upgrade it to a 6 lead. My cardiologist thinks it’s great and it really helped when I had an arrythmia four months after my ablation. When the cardiologist saw the Kardia history of the event he could see that it began with atrial flutter which then triggered atrial fibrillation. This meant that I didn’t need any intervention and he said he wouldn’t have known that without my Kardia readings. I agree with Bob - it mustn’t take over your life and I never use it unless I suspect an arrythmia. I do however take it with me in my backpack wherever I go. Hope this helps.

[Dexter1958]

I bought the new version. It’s the size of a credit card. Fits in your wallet. I haven’t had a episode but peace of mind knowing it’s there if I need it.

[Snowgirl65]

I found mine very much worth the cost. After a particularly bad a-fib episode in early October, I was able to download the EKG and send it to my EP so he could see the results at the time it happened.

[Ellie-Ann]

I bought a one lead Kardia some months ago along with an Apple Watch series 3. ( older version but cheaper than the newer versions and you can find out your heart rate fine on that.).

Found them both VERY useful! You can see what your pulse rate is when out and about walking and also resting heart rate very easily. Not complicated at all.

It’s reassurance! You can see ‘what’s what’ all of the time but as someone else has said “ Don’t let it run your life.”

The Kardia will tell you your pulse rate and give you a 30 second graph/ ECG. It will also say if you are in Normal Sinus Rhythm or A.Fib or Bradycardia so it’s useful to keep an eye on things without bothering the Doctor all of the time. A very good investment! Check the Internet out to see how to read the graphs, there are plenty of lessons on Utube.

Get one. Good luck.

Good luck. Ellie Ann.

[indy64]

I've had the Kardia since it first came out — initially it was a prescribed device in the US. Currently using the 6-lead (also works as a one lead). If something is questionable, I just send to my cardiologist. I've taken right before an EKG in the doctor's office and it pretty accurate. Bob is right. It's easy to become fixated as many AF sufferers also appear to have anxiety issues.

[Banquo]

I've had the 6L for quite a while now and love it. When I was in AFib it read it right every time...not that I couldn't tell of course. It is merely confirmation. And as others have said, you can easily email it to your doc if need be. Many docs don't care and won't look at it, but some docs like gizmos and tech and love their patients having these devices. I've heard Apple watches are good also. I am a Garmin user and they are behind on the ECG thing in their watches..just starting to roll them out now. The Kardia 6L is far superior and certainly portable...just not 24-7 on your wrist. After being in AFib for a while it was always sweet music to see Normal Sinus Rhythm on the device. It can be a bit finicky with electrical interference and finishing a reading etc.. but regardless, I recommend.

[WildIris]

I have the older, less expensive non-subscription Kardia. It detects afib, normal sinus rhythm, tachycardia, bradycardia and occasionally "other", usually from electrical interference. It also sends readings to my doctor which is handy. I get a lot of skipping every other beat rhythms, which it calls bradycardia. Anyway I'm happy with it.

[doubledeck]

I bought one as a comforter and to build up evidence for my operation, its reassuring. As others have said don't get too obsessed with it, it easily done. Mine is the £99 version.

[OzRob]

I don't have a Kardia but I do have an AF Scanwatch from Withings (French). It also produces ECGS that my cardiologist said were excellent.

The biggest problem with these types of devices is that you need to take a recording when you notice a change in your heart. For Vagal AF sufferers who usually experience symptoms in at night whilst sleeping this type of device can impact you sleep as you are always on edge ready to take a recording. At one point I was only getting 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night as I was so determined to record as much as I could.

I now have a Wellue AI Monitor that I strap onto my chest at night and I sleep like a baby. In the morning I connect it to my laptop and get 500 pages of ECG tracings and it tells you exactly how many PVC's, PAC's and AF episodes I get at night.

I went one step further and record each nights results and what I have eaten etc into a spreadsheet which them creates graphs etc so my EP can see what happens over time. He was so impressed as he had never seen a patient with so much data and has helped him greatly in my treatment.

[lovetogarden]

I bought one of the original ones, really helped me to understand my symptoms. I replaced it with the 6 lead one. I now just use it to keep a list of my SVT events, I or8nt out a report to show my EP how frequently they’re happening and give him a quick view of what the ekgs look like.

[listerines]

Very useful for me in determining whether in afib or having long runs of ectopics (mostly pacs) - really appreciate being able to send readings to afib team as has sped up my ablation procedure time due to ramping up of my episodes. Dont think you can go really wrong with this product for peace of mind. Have heard good things about newer Apple watches as well but price quite a bit higher and need to be in the apple world. Keep safe

[Browncoat]

It's great! If you can keep it

I used single lead Kardia for many years after my Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation diagnosis. After I lost it a couple of years ago, I bought another without hesitation (after trying the 6-lead and finding it considerably less accurate and reliable then the single lead). I carried it with me in my left trouser pocket at ALL times!

I then lost my second one a few weeks ago. However I was now wearing an Aktiia blood pressure monitor on one wrist and a step-counter on the other, so I decided to splash-out on a Galaxy Watch 5 to combine everything. So far I am really happy with it - the ECG and blood pressure monitoring is very good. It's also very easy to email/send pdf ecg traces.

With the Kardia, you do NOT need to sign up to any extra fees, but the app sometimes makes it difficult to email traces... it's something that gets fixed on one update, then gets broken on the next. My suspicious mine thinks they make it difficult to get users to sign up to the paid version.

Good luck!

[FitnessGotFibbed]

The 6 lead is excellent. Highly recommend. ECG is always there for you. Good for investigations, peace of mind, and afib management.

[norarita]

I have used it and use it every morning or each time a feel an afib episode coming on which is frequent and its so simple to use. You download the app to your mobile and its very user friendly. Its a recording of an ecg and once a week I send mine to my team in hospital who monitor me.

[Palpman in reply to norarita]

You are lucky to have a cardiac team behind you and monitor your heart rhythm. My GP would send my ECG emails to the Spam folder and report me for harassment.