technical help Kardia please! - Atrial Fibrillati...

Atrial Fibrillation Support

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technical help Kardia please!

Peony4575 profile image
63 Replies

I have had a standard Kardia for a couple of years and have just bought a 6L. Was going to do a test run but wouldn’t work on current app. Instructions aren’t for adding a Kardia but for setting up from scratch . I thought I could have one Kardia in my handbag and one in bedside draw . Do I need to download the app again and have separate apps for each Kardia ? Happy to do that if that is the best way

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Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575
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63 Replies
pip_pip profile image
pip_pip

More than likely its the device. My Kardia works on one phone but not the other. Kardia will tell you maybe. They have lists as to which phones they work on. Because you have the 2 lead that works well does not mean that the 6L will. Trial and error. You might have to try another device / mobile.

Phil

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply topip_pip

Thanks Phil. I have consulted Google and have been able to add it now into my iPhone . Just reading on how I could switch between devices should I need to. How do you know when the battery needs changing? Any idea ?

mjames1 profile image
mjames1 in reply toPeony4575

When in "record ekg mode" pull down me at very top let's you switch from one Kardia device to another.

Jim

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply tomjames1

Thanks Jim !

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply topip_pip

I have just found that too. Seems a much more sophisticated device. Found a battery indicator

baba profile image
baba in reply toPeony4575

Where is the battery indicator , please

I have older device with no screws to battery compartment.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply tobaba

I don’t know on yours sorry Baba I didn’t see it on my older device, just came across it on the 6L

baba profile image
baba in reply toPeony4575

Thank you!

LaceyLady profile image
LaceyLady in reply tobaba

Battery seems to last a long time. I’ve an old one lead and only changed battery once in all time I’ve had it. Can’t remember what happened.

alfrae13 profile image
alfrae13 in reply tobaba

excuse me but what battery are you taking about. I have a Kardia 6L which is a piece of metal you place on your knee, place your thumbs on either side and it will record your heart beat on the phone. That is the only product shown on Kardia web site. What am I missing?

baba profile image
baba in reply toalfrae13

I have a KardiaMobile.You probably have a KardiaMobile 6 lead.

They both have a battery.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toalfrae13

Everything needs power to run. It has a battery

alfrae13 profile image
alfrae13 in reply toPeony4575

Sorry, but my Kardiamobile 6L is a piece of some kind of metal 3x1x1/8. It records your beats on the app and shows the ecg. I live in the US. Could the kardia in UK be different?

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toalfrae13

No. That’s what they are .

pip_pip profile image
pip_pip

It worked my chromebook until the o/s was updated . So it was lucky I kept my older phone. The details of the account and the ecg history should be able to be read on any device once logged into the app online. According to what account you might have with them. I have to say I was also caught out with this issue. But you don't know until you try it. !

Phil

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply topip_pip

Thanks Phil. The ecg history seems to have disappeared for now I can just see the test one . It was very disconcerting to see 6 squiggly lines when I did a test run ( normal) . Always looks a bit crazy for first few seconds . Am going to have to nose around

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

What you may need to do, depending upon the devices you use, is it set up two different accounts with differing email addresses - one account for single lead and second for the 6L and then switch between the two accounts on the app.

Battery indicator will tell you when you need to change the battery but suggest you removed the screws over a container - we have all had to learn that the hard way!

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toCDreamer

Lol good advice since I am getting short sighted . So you can set up two accounts on the one app I will try that thank you

kalgs profile image
kalgs

I have a Kardia 6L and Kardia watch . Both work on same app. I also have app on 2 different phones. Download app again and connect Kardia. They have helpline

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply tokalgs

Many thanks !

Vonnegut profile image
Vonnegut

One is fine for me! I keep it with my phone and have it with me wherever I am but hope you work it out for yourself successfully!

TracyAdmin profile image
TracyAdminPartner

Thank you for your message to the post. Please follow the link direct to AliveCor troubleshooting page on their website: alivecor.zendesk.com/hc/en-...

Kind regards

TracyAdmin

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toTracyAdmin

Thanks Tracy

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob

You will lose your history of ECGs if you reinstall the Kardia App and aren't subscribed to services needing payment.

If you are NOT subscribed to Kardia's extra services (like me), your ECGs will be stored in the App and will be lost if you reinstall the App. Subscription creates an online account where your personal history of ECGs are stored, presumably until you stop paying the subscription.

But if you always send ECGs to yourself in emails after you create them (like me), and/or download them to your device (like me), you will always have your own ECG history stored safely.

So take care before reinstalling Kardia.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toozziebob

Thank you ! I did get it to work on my existing app in the end the ecgs are all still there . I have just subscribed because have been prescribed flec as pip. Haven’t taken it yet but want to be alerted if any change in qrs interval

Palpman profile image
Palpman in reply toPeony4575

You mean lengthening of the QT interval. This can happen with daily long term use of Flecainide.The PIP would not accumulate in the blood plasma and organs.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toPalpman

Good to know . I thought it was a possible adverse event from any use

Palpman profile image
Palpman in reply toPeony4575

Long term daily use of Flecainide taken together with some other QT lengthening drug such as Sertraline can cause LQTS.Flecainide taken daily by itself rarely cases LQTS unless there is another cause such as genetics.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toPalpman

That’s reassuring . Am frightened of taking it. They used to only give if if you were on a cardiac monitor didn’t they

Thomas45 profile image
Thomas45 in reply toPeony4575

No, I was prescribed Flecainide 50mg x 2 a day, rising after 2 years to 150mg x 2 a day. It reduced AF episodes to one or two 10 minute episodes a year. After 12/13years I was found to be in persistent, though asymptomatic, AF. Have been for 6 years .

I wasn't on a cardiac monitor.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toThomas45

Thanks Thomas

baba profile image
baba in reply toPalpman

It did for me.

F-M-C-MM profile image
F-M-C-MM in reply toozziebob

Hi,My first Kardia is broken, and I now have a new Kardia device, just the original basic one.

Should I uninstall the App on my phone, and reinstall again for the replacement device, or should the new one link up automatically?

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toF-M-C-MM

Mine linked up automatically . Give it a go before doing anything major . Because mine was a different device I went into account and was given option to pair , so have a look around the app if you have problems, uninstalling will lose your history

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob in reply toF-M-C-MM

I think Peony4575 has given the appropriate answer. If you don't have a paid subscription, if you uninstall and reinstall you will lose your history.

Your new device should link into the App without issue and without needing anything drastic like reinstalling the App.

I lost my history, as, with no subscription, and needing a phone Factory Reset for other reasons, I performed a Kardia App uninstall and later reinstall. Although in hindsight I wish I hadn't uninstalled this App before that Reset because the Factory Reset saved much more of my User Apps and data than I expected. Next time I'll leave the Kardia App on my phone during a Factory Reset to see if the Kardia App and my history survive.

mjames1 profile image
mjames1 in reply toF-M-C-MM

If you aren't enrolled in Kardia's subscription services and still want to save your ekg's after a reinstall, you can save the individual ekg's in files and/or via email, either on your phone or computer outside of the app itself. Just takes a few seconds to save an ekg.

Jim

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz

hi , hope you sort all your issues out . May I ask why you ve bought a 6 lead Kardia , I m looking at buying a monitor & not sure whether to buy the 1L or 6L

Many thanks

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob in reply toGrandmaz

Remember the 6L also does a single lead ECG if you choose that simpler ECG. But the extra information in a 6 lead ECG is essential for more detailed arrhythmia diagnosis by medical experts.

And the 6 lead device uses Bluetooth to communicate between your device and your phone, and this is liable to less interference than the single lead model which uses radio waves.

I recommend the 6L.

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz in reply toozziebob

Thank you ozziebob that’s very helpful

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toozziebob

That is really helpful !

Tigger_2 profile image
Tigger_2 in reply toozziebob

Had to chuckle.

What's Bluetooth if it isn't radio?

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob in reply toTigger_2

Yes, the Kardia site said wireless, and I was confused. Regardless, the communication issues of the 1 lead were improved by moving to Bluetooth with the 6 lead.

baba profile image
baba in reply toozziebob

I've never had issues connecting mine, used several different phones and tablet computers, without Bluetooth

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob in reply toTigger_2

I have a 6L with bluetooth so no problems re interference between device and my phone.

However it was the comments of others online and personal testimony of friends about having to move location to prevent interference from nearby electrical equipment to their older single lead Kardia devices that stuck in my mind. Along with feedback like this that I was trying to communicate ...

"The 6L communicates with smartphones via BlueTooth with a simple discrete device pairing. It does not communicate by sound with the smartphone’s microphone like the single lead Kardia unit does. This allows for a greater distance capability between the 6L and the SmartPhone.

The 6L appears less prone to electrical interference."

However, if my thinking is out-of-date, it was not my intention to confuse others as well as myself.

Silence is golden perhaps.

And it seems the newer Kardiamobile card system also uses Bluetooth.

localad profile image
localad in reply toozziebob

Single lead uses ultrasound link

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toGrandmaz

Ozziebob has given the perfect answer !

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz in reply toPeony4575

Yes very helpful

mjames1 profile image
mjames1 in reply toGrandmaz

I have both the Mobile and Six lead. Both are great, but as OBob said, the six lead seems to connect better and also feels more substantial. Most of the time I just use the single lead function on the 6L because it's more convenient, but on the occasion I want a six lead for my ep, that functionality is there.

Jim

ozziebob profile image
ozziebob in reply tomjames1

I had to look that up OBob ... the Oregon Battle of the Books ... who knew ! 😄

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz in reply tomjames1

Thanks Jim

PleasantPink profile image
PleasantPink in reply toGrandmaz

I had the same question & checked with my cardiologist. She said the 1L is all I need for home monitoring. To date since 2019 that has been sufficient. There have only been two times when the recording was unclassified and I didn't feel well that I had to follow up in an ER visit where they do a 12 L anyway to rule out any serious concerns.

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz in reply toPleasantPink

Thank you

execz1 profile image
execz1

Hello Kardia users,

My view is that having a Kardia or similar devices tend to increase patient anxiety which in turn induce episodes of AFIB. Frankly if one have symptomatic episode you will know you are in AFIB and I am certain your doctor have already told your what to do then. If you are one of the lucky ones and your episodes are not symptomatic then again your doctor have already told what to do if you feel out of sort.

I personally have had AFIB since 2012 and have been seen by the best cardiology center in the country among others and never was told to to get Kardia or other devices. At the end of the day it is how you feel what counts and when and how you seek medical attention. So follow your doctor’s instructions and leave the diagnosis to him and not to a well marketed gadgets.

Grandmaz profile image
Grandmaz in reply toexecz1

Thank you execz1 for your reply, I appreciate what you are saying entirely, I am nervous that I may become anxious if I were to buy a monitor or maybe it would give me reassurance, difficult for me to decide

execz1 profile image
execz1 in reply toGrandmaz

Grandmaz

All of us suffering with AFIB were made anxious by our disease and it is important that we avoid any additional causes for anxiety. I am reminded that whatever Kardia show me, there aren’t much I can do with it except to share it with my doctor for any action. Having said that at least for me the doctor said I should be acting on how I feel and not what Kardia shows. We have been told by doctors when to contact them and/ or seek immediate medical attention. Probably knowing your heart rate would be beneficial for your doctor to know when you call him . For heart rate you could use very uncomplicated finger Oximeter that you can buy a good one for less than $30.

PleasantPink profile image
PleasantPink in reply toexecz1

I have to agree you make some valid points. Initially I was very anxious using the Kardia until I was better educated on what the different findings meant. What was most reassuring was knowing what to do & when to do it. My doctor gave me specific guidelines to follow when to seek medical attention. Having a plan ahead of time has been more helpful in reducing my anxiety than the Kardia. I am on the PIP protocol ( Pill in the Pocket ) and do use the Kardia once in the morning when I check my BP. Aside from that I don't use it unless I am feeling a change in my heart rate or rhythm that I can't explain by my situation.

That said I like doing my daily Kardia & BP as a reassurance. I am not one of those folks who doesn't "feel the change". But should that start happening I want to be aware of it. So I guess the decision to use it depends a lot on an individuals preference & what their doctor advises for them.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toexecz1

That is your opinion . Other opinions are available . I only use mine if I am aware of palpitations but with the two episodes of AF I have had. The first I didn’t know what it. was . I waited several hours then rang 911 and they asked me how fast it was. I couldn’t answer because my BP monitor just said error because it couldn’t count 180 bpm and they didn’t know what was going on. The second time my Kardia said AF and 180bpm I could give the information and was told to go straight in . If I was travelling/away from home and had an arrythmia I would want to know what it was and if ringing for help could say what the Kardia said or email them an ECG . I think it is a great safety device nobody suggests it can replace a doctor . My cardiologists are very happy for me to use Kardia it makes their job a lot easier

in reply toPeony4575

“ Other opinions are available”

Love it ! 🤣

execz1 profile image
execz1

So the 911 medics wanted to know was how fast is you heart rate so the can decide what to do . Assuming you are symptomatic you can measure your heart rate using a simple Finger Oximeter . Of course if you are not symptomatic and you are taking your meds then why checking what is going on with your AFIB if you feel well.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toexecz1

Am guessing your pulse oximeter doesn’t tell you whether you are in fast AF or tachycardia with ectopics ? Having one arrythmia doesn’t mean you can’t /won’t get another . I am a person who likes to know what is going on . Each to his/her own

execz1 profile image
execz1 in reply toPeony4575

You are correct, Oximeter only show the heart rate number. If you go to the ER their goal of their treatment is to bring your heart rate down below 100 . Of course I expect that your doctor probably told you at what rate you should seek medical attention. Technically any rate above 100 during AFIB episode is considered Rapid heart rate.

Bottom line you should do whatever makes you feel good and if Kardia is doing that for you then it is with the investment.

PleasantPink profile image
PleasantPink in reply toexecz1

Since I am following the conversation I will answer why to check what is going on if you feel well. From my understanding there are many folks with Afib that never feel poorly or are even aware they have Afib until it is found incidentally on another exam, perhaps PCP visit. Once you have been diagnosed it is a smart decision to stay on top of your response to treatment. If you are seeing your doctor regularly it may not be necessary; but I think a good habit as we all know things can change between visits. Early intervention in all things medical is always the easiest & best approach.

Peony4575 profile image
Peony4575 in reply toPleasantPink

Totally agree

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