I was elated when my GP surgery phoned to say they have acquired 14 Kardias which they plan to use in surgery and to screen people who come for the COVID vax. Although I had sent a proposal to them about a month ago I can't be sure this led directly to their decision but they thanked me for the proposal.
I did it because it took them 8 months to diagnose my night time ‘palpitations’. The GP diagnosed 'anxiety’ - he prescribed CBT and anxiety medication, I thought that wasn't the whole story and decided to go private since there was no chance of an NHS cardio appointment at that point.
The Private cardiologist immediately suggested I get Kardia. At the follow up appointment he took one look at the Kardia ECG reading - diagnosed PAF, and prescribed Edoxaban. It was a massive relief after 8 months of scary mayhem.
The obvious question that immediately came up was - why in heavens name isn’t Kardia used by every GP? I did some research, discovered Kardia is approved by NICE (2018) and sent my suggestion to the GP.
Being something of an obsessive I had also calculated that the 8 months – of 111calls, ambulance call outs, and GP visits, cost the NHS around £2.6k - without achieving a reliable diagnosis, no wonder they are strapped for funds. And then if we add the 1 in 5 risk and potential cost of stroke it really doesn’t add up.
My intention is not to criticise my GP surgery I think they did the best they could with the means available ….
Cat x
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108cat
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Great work Cat. Some ten years or more ago I was able to borrow an experimental ECG machine of lap top size during our annual arrhythmia awareness week. It only needed hands placed face down on the screen. By arrangement I spent two days at two local surgeries doing random ECG for anybody in the waiting room who wanted one. Over those two days I tested 58 people and found seven cases of AF five of which were new diagnosis. One surgery subsequently acquired one machine though my own chose not to.
What is far more important in my view is regular pulse checks at every appointment and at flu jab times etc as this is easily accomplished in the half minute the apointment takes and will identify those needing further ECG appraisal.
Thanks for your positive response - interesting to hear about that early mobile technology - it must have been an amazing experience for you to find five new cases in two days in only 58 people ....
Regular pulse checks are of course an absolute no brainer and would catch both asymptomatic and symptomatic (persisten/permanent) AF. But it's my experience that GPs and medical staff hardly seem to have time to breathe in the allotted time. Kardia ECG can be done in 30 seconds while they type up notes on the computer and then the readings can be kept on patient records or forwarded to Secondary care. Kardia can also be lent out to those (like myself) who have night time PAF which is pretty hard to diagnose with current methods.
Truth is there are so many methods that could be employed but aren't ...
That’s so impressive, especially that you took the trouble to calculate the £2.6 cost to the NHS of all your other interventions. It makes having a Kardia in every consulting room a no-brainer. I’d recommend it to my GP surgery too, except it seems impossible to get to see a GP face to face, and a Kardia’s not much use on a telephone appointment!
I think the reason is cost. Also, an Apple Watch is vastly more useful and equally effective. Cheaper ECG devices also exist that can be bought without the NHS having to bear the cost. I use one from Contec that is proving excellent.
When I realised the NHS could actually save funds (and speed up detection) if they used Kardia (or equivalent) I decided to have a go at this ..
the other thing is that not everyone can afford to find a speedy diagnosis by going private or to buy the gadgets themselves .. not to mention the asymptomatics who are at risk without realising it.
There is another gadget currently being tested (SAFER) for use in NHS but the results won't be out until 2028t. That's a three year gap .. a lot of strokes can happen in that time.
Yes once I found a way to figure out a way to cost it - it was clear this would strengthen the argument .. since GPs are so strapped for cash. Happy to share my proposal and any other information if you're interested.
I definitely feel a campaign coming on particularly as Wes Streeting wants to focus on 'prevention' and will want to save funds.
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