Wellue 24 ECG Recorder Accuracy

[Debjimmay]

Can anyone tell me how accurate the readings from the Wellue 24 hr. ECG Recorder are? I purchased my recorder in July of this year and use it two or three times a week. All my reports are saying that I have between 15,000 and 20,000+ arrhythmias in the 24 hour period. This number includes PVCs, PACs, Bigeminy, Trigeminy, and SV (suptaventricular tachycardia). The Afib readings are very rare. The last one I had was 0.03. Does anyone know if you continue to have readings like these, will it eventually caused damage to your heart? My EP has recommended an ablation, but I’m terrified to have that done.

[Ppiman]

Mine seems to be accurate. It is easily affected negatively by activity which creates a "noisy" ECG trace, and, if overnight, I guess movement while asleep will also cause this, but it seems to pick up all the ectopic beats and arrhythmias. In my case, because I have another arrhythmia called a bundle block (LBBB) the Wellue AI algorithms are easily tricked into thinking a few of the arrhythmias are ventricular rather than atrial.

You can work out your arrhythmia "burden" as doctors call it by calculating the percentage against the total number of heartbeats as shown in the summary. Your heart will have beaten about 120000 times in a 24-hour period so your burden on this measurement will be around 12-15%. I think this is considered quite a high burden and would be why an ablation was offered. My burden varies a lot and can equal this I expect, but I haven't bothered to measure it recently. I do also get AF maybe weekly and have an ablation coming once the waiting list allows it to fix both. When I had a monitor fitted over a year back the ectopic burden was only 5% if I recall, but this will depend as my troubles wax and wane and have worsened this past year.

As for damaging you heart - apparently and pleasingly not. Atrial arrhythmias can feel awful and feel as if they simply must be causing damage, but the important part of the heart, the ventricles, are left relatively unscathed, that is so long as the rate is relatively well controlled and kept below 100bpm most of the time.

Steve

[Debjimmay in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks for your advice and reassurance Steve. You are always so positive. 😊

[Ppiman in reply to Debjimmay]

Thank you!I try to be but I fail myself as I do have health anxiety at times, quite badly so.

Steve

[mjames1]

How often and how long are your Afib episodes? Same question with SVT. Are you on any drugs to control them?

Jim

[Debjimmay]

Hi Jim,

My Apple Watch and my Kardia Care device seem to pick up more Afib episodes than the Wellue ECG Recorder. I’m not sure why, but I don’t seem to go into Afib too often. I would say on average maybe it’s about two or three times a week and only lasts for a minute or two. I have noticed that walking on the treadmill or any other exercise will set off Afib. I am actually afraid to exercise anymore because of that.

I am on 180 mg of Diltiazem ER once a day and I’m taking 2.5 mg Eliquis twice a day for the Afib. My 24 hr. Wellue report from yesterday said I had 19 Supraventricular Tachycardia episodes. It said the maximum duration of SVT was 6 and the longest time of SVT happened 23:47:55 and I’m not sure how to read that. I’m sorry.

[mav7 in reply to Debjimmay]

Have you had an EKG recently ?

Your concern is noteworthy and understood. It would be best to set an appt with your doctor to have an evaluation with medical devices. And take your devices to the appt for a comparison.

[Debjimmay in reply to mav7]

I have actually printed out the report from the Wellue 24 hr. ECG Recorder and had the doctor take a look at it. He says it looks like I’m having PVCs and shrugged it off saying it’s nothing to be worried about. Easy for him to say. It seems like women don’t get taken as seriously as men when it comes to heart issues. At least that’s the feeling I’m getting.

[mav7 in reply to Debjimmay]

My cardiologists said similar words about PVCs. I am male.

[Cliff_G]

Hi Debjimmay,

The Wellue accuracy is a function of its interpretation of the traces, using its Artificial Intelligence method. The mV traces themselves are pretty good, provided you are still(ish) but the AI interpretation has limitations. This is also true with professional 12-lead interpretations which most cardiologists will only use as an initial indicator, and will go on to interpret themselves.

I find certain of the conclusions from the Wellue AI are very accurate, like PVCs. A PVC is really easy to spot even as an amateur and I've cross-checked manually for the odd hour's figures here and there and get within better than 5%. Ventricular bigeminy and couplets should be equally easy, but I feel it under-counts my bigeminy.

PACs in my reports I am less sure of, as my trace shows no P-waves at all due to the position of the Wellue electrodes and my extensive ablations back in 2002. (I do have P-waves in some leads of a 12-lead ECG). PACs are easy enough to spot with training if there's a P-wave, but without, all it can go by are the changes in RR interval beat to beat, and I think it takes some of my (rather extreme) heart rate variability as PACs. Ditto AF, also A-Flutter. Prior to my recent ablation I was in 100% A-Flutter (confirmed by my EP) but Wellue was reporting 3% Fib + Flutter, so not at all accurate.

The beat counts, average, max and min heart rates are pretty good.

You can look at the sample traces in the "Report" and see that what it gives as an example of each oddity does not always make sense. It always gets VT wrong for me, and as for AF, again it really needs a P-wave to be a good interpretation.

Regarding whether your fib/etc is doing any harm, certainly decades ago it was said that AF doesn't cause harm, apart from the stroke risk. That view has changed, e.g. prior to my recent ablation, my EP commented that my atria were not as enlarged as he had expected in someone with my history. There can be other issues. I think you ought to get a proper medical view on that question.

Ablations now are way safer than in the early days (20+ years ago), however, it remains true that the earlier an ablation is done, the greater the success rate is.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

[Debjimmay in reply to Cliff_G]

Thank you Cliff for your explanation on the monitor readings. I’m 73 and because I’ve had Afib for some time now and these arrhythmias for what seems like forever, I would like to have more testing done to see if there’s been any damage done to my heart. I’ve also heard it said that treating these issues sooner than later has better results.

[Cliff_G in reply to Debjimmay]

The work-up tests for an ablation should include a full ECG and an echo, and those will should be able to tell your doctors and you whether there's been any long-term damage. My last ablation was in fact conditional on my heart being suitable for ablation, which fortunately it was.

[fairgo45]

Mine is quite accurate my cardiologist said it was very clear for him to interpret. The only thing to watch out for is it wrongly showing ventricular tachycardia when it isn't also SVT.

He showed me an actual trace of both these and they were both very distinctly not correct on the wellue.

I pay the monthly fee occasionally just to take random 30 minute traces on the App it's interesting to see the interpretation i recommended this device as a good thing to have while waiting for a yearly holter

[ozziebob in reply to fairgo45]

As a potential customer for a Wellue, I was alerted by your statement ... "I pay the monthly fee occasionally just to take random 30 minute traces on the App it's interesting to see the interpretation".

The features you describe are unfamiliar to me from the Wellue website information. Monthly fee? 30 minute traces on the App ... to see the interpretation? Is the latter a new App-alone feature? avoiding the fuller AI analysis available via laptop and software? Have these new options been introduced with the new 24 & 72 hour models? How much is the monthly fee? and what extra information does the fee provide?

These questions are not answered on the website, so I would be very appreciative if you were able to share your experience and insight.

Thanks, bob.

[Debjimmay in reply to fairgo45]

Thank you for sharing your information. I’m wondering about this monthly fee I’m reading about for the Wellue as I have not been paying anything and I’ve been getting reports on my computer for the Wellue 24 hr ECG recorder with Ai approximately 2or 3 times a week.

[fairgo45 in reply to Debjimmay]

That's right the wellue 24 hour monitor is free you just put the little gadget on your chest and leave it on for 24 hours to get your results .

However you can also download an app called Vihealth ,this logs into a lot of your wellue gadgets.

With this you can take short readings,

I take 30 minute ones and it will give you a read out You can send any thing that worries you to your cardiologist.

But if you pay $12.99 NZD you can get exactly the same print out as the 24 hour monitor,I don't do it often just every now and then I'll have a months worth and a lot of shorter ecgs to compare

[fairgo45]

I've had mine a while so not a new feature. You put an app on your phone called Vihealth.

This is separate from the main 24 hour monitor which is done on a laptop at least that's where mine is so I can store all the results away from our main computer.

The app uses the same little device you put on your chest with the sticky pads but you can take short 30 minute recordings AI gives you the results straight away.

I only use the main wellue once a month but if you pay $12.99 you can for a month take as many short readings as you like.

If I haven't explained that properly tell me and I'll try again

[ozziebob in reply to fairgo45]

I now understand you are talking New Zealand and NZ$. Great! And it seems Viatom owns Wellue. So far so good.

And you pay your subscription via the Viatom App, ViHealth?

And am I correct to think the "interpretations" you get "straight away" after your 30 min ecgs are provided by the AI algorithm held in the ViHealth App? on your phone?

Sounds like it could be useful for me as I don't own a laptop and therefore wouldn't be able to access the full AI analysis. I will look into it for UK residents like me. Are you satisfied with the range of arrythmias included in the instant AI analysis you described? It would be interesting to compare the determinations you receive via the ViHealth App with your older device, to the "limited AI analysis" via the App alone offered by the new 24 and 72 hour Wellue devices (as mentioned in passing on the Wellue website). Perhaps they are the same?

[fairgo45 in reply to ozziebob]

The App is for a few wellue products like blood pressure etc.Because I only use it for the 30 minute trace occasionally i pay $12 .99 NZD for a month and can take as many 30 minutes ECGs as I like in that month and it gives exactly the same results and indepth explanations as the full one.

My cardiologist has okyed it as usfull for him to see.

I'll try to screenshot it so you see what it looks like later today but I definitely like using it as it is a very light weight device to wear and the 30 minute or 24 hour results are instant

[Autumn_Leaves]

Wellue reports short runs of PACs as SVT when it isn’t genuinely SVT. I wouldn’t worry about the reported “SVT” if it’s actually a short run of atrial ectopics lasting several beats. If these episodes lasted much longer and were sustained, that would more likely be SVT. If it’s 4 beats, or 12 beats, or something like that, it’s more likely to be a run of PACs.

You need a proper 24h ECG done via Cardiology and then discuss the results with your doctor as to what’s the best course of action. You can’t really self-diagnose with consumer devices — though these are very, very useful, they’re not medical grade devices and the AI reports are not as accurate as you’d get with a 24h Holter monitor.

15,000-20,000 is a high ectopic burden and it may warrant treatment with ablation. Ectopics are not typically damaging to the heart, but a high ectopic burden might require more investigation and treatment. Nobody here can tell you what’s the appropriate treatment though. So many other factors need to be considered so see what your cardiologist says after you’ve had a 24h Holter.

[Debjimmay in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to send me this information. It’s very reassuring. I asked my EP doctor if they would do a 24 hour halter but he said since I’m doing it at home I don’t need it done again. To me, I feel that cardiologist don't take women as seriously as they do men. This gets very frustrating for me at times. I feel I need more testing, but nobody is listening. I was able to get my cardiologist to schedule an ultrasound, but I won’t be able to get it done till after the first of the year. Thanks again!

[OzRob]

I have one, and my EP said it was the best unit he had seen as far as the data provided.

I do use 3m red dot adhesive electrodes as they are not interrupted through the night compared to the chest strap.

[Goosebumps in reply to OzRob]

I agree that the chest strap is not so effective when used at night.

I have also had an issue lately with the Wellue that if it isn’t fully charged it fails to record a new trace, even though it ‘buzzed’ when first put on. This is most annoying if you’ve put it on for a long period. When you connect it afterwards it tells you that it has already analysed your trace, which of course it hasn’t, it’s looking at the last one. Do you get this?

[OzRob in reply to Goosebumps]

I always charge mine; I just leave it connected to my laptop after downloading the latest data.

[fairgo45 in reply to OzRob]

Where do you get those from

[OzRob in reply to fairgo45]

I got mine on eBay: Red Dot Foam Monitoring ECG Electrodes with Sticky Gel PACK OF 50 - Code 3M 2560

[OzRob]

It is a Wellue product, but that is just the monitor branded Wellue. These are all made in China; if you buy the identical product like I did, called CHECK ME, through Aliexpress it gives you the same Wellue information for software downloads, etc.

[ozziebob in reply to OzRob]

Are you replying to fairgo45 ? If yes, I think she was asking "Where do you get those from" in relation to your "3m red dot adhesive electrodes"? She already owns the Wellue 24 hour ecg device.

[fairgo45 in reply to ozziebob]

Did you get the tracing I sent to you?