Hi, 51 year old male here, I've had PAF for 10years now. Controlled by 1-2 50mg tablets per day of Flecainide. This week however out of the blue I had my first nasty bout of AF for some years. I couldn't stop it by doubling my Flecainide dose and could not sleep at all last night and ended up at an urgent care centre this afternoon. Typically by then (14 hrs later) I'd gone back into sinus rhythm. It really scared me as I'd forgotten how unsettling these episodes are. I'm now looking to buy a Kardio monitor from Amazon and I was wondering if they work, do people recommend them, do GP's take them seriously and is there a difference between the 1 lead and 6 lead device? Apologies if this has been asked many times before! Any advice appreciated, many thanks Yan
KardiaMobile monitors: Hi, 51 year old... - Atrial Fibrillati...
KardiaMobile monitors
Yes they work and the only doctors that don't take them seriously are doctors you probably want to avoid.
Get the 6L. It gives you the option of taking a single, or six lead EKG with better connectivity than the single lead.
I've been using Kardia products for seven years now, and even though I've had a successful ablation, I still have the 6L at home and the newer Kardia Card in my wallet. It's like having an old friend around in case you need them during a rough patch.
Jim
Hiya yanbart,
There is always something to learn from this forum - indeed most forums.. I've just read Jim's post (mjames1) and agree with his comments. That said, I was unaware of the Kardia Card. Like Jim I have the Kardia 6L and as and when I need it it has given me amazing insights as to what is going on with my heart electronics. I haven't quite had my Kardia as long as Jim, but not far short.
Speaking for myself, accompanying my original diagnosis was the Consultants statement that I could/can often be asymptomatic. Generally speaking, I get one or two clearly identifable AF events every 4 or 5 years. However, in between times, there are many times when I feel mysteriously unwell and I know this 'unwellness' is originating in my chest and I cannot pin it down to anything 'cos I'm usually out and about and my Kardia 6L is at home.
Yes, GP's do take them seriously and so does my Cardiac Consultant. Yes, I recommend the 6L based on my personal experience and am now gonna look at the Kardia Card.
Thanks for the insight Jim ! 😀
John
Hi John......I can't see that the Kardia card is available in the UK. As I have my single lead device stuck to my mobile it wouldn't be necessary but can see it would be very handy for some.
The new single lead is very small and fits in a purse or wallet quite easily
I was just checking the same !! Not only is it now showing on Kardia website, its 'unavailable' on amazon.co.uk. A shame: hopefully it will become available here. One possibility is that it has yet to go through UK/EU Medical device certification.
Sadly, if you read about it (Kardia Card) on the American site, it uses a non-replaceable battery. Having already replaced the battery in my old single lead Kardia twice (since 2017), I'm not sure how that would sit with me. Likely to be £100 or thereabouts when it becomes available here.
Hi to all about Kardia
Some of you may know me by now as a physician with a 2 year history of AF who converted to sinus rhythm with a protocol for 20 months to date. A cardinal part of my protocol is self monitoring my EKGs for 30 seconds 3-4 times a day( total of 2 minutes usually in early AM ,noon, late afternoon and at bedtime). By doing that I pick up asymptomatic AF which is as concerning as symptomatic regarding its potential for strokes, heart failure and dementia even on an anticoagulant. So for sure I recommend getting and using Kardia to know what is happening. Obviously not as good as 24/7 Holter monitoring but a lot better than believing all is fine when not symptomatic . I frankly see no benefit for 6 leads which adds nothing to interpretation than one lead (II) which is used traditionally for rhythm detection. My BIO explains more about it.
“Hug your heart and someone needing a hug”
Hugheart
I need a hug!!! And someone I can talk to re my medication who knows what they are actually talking about. Hope to get some answers soon.
Hi Gillybean
Not sure I can help but send me your question. You might wantvtovdonitvon private message (PM)
Hugheart
I have the single lead Kardia and have had it for very many years. In fact I'm on my second model . I wore out the first one ! I find this more than adequate for my readings although if I was starting out I would get the 6l.
I have had the one lead for ten years always found it accurate tested it against hospital monitors
I rely on my Apple Watch. Doc said it could have potentially saved my life as it was that, that alerted me to my first episode of AF. She looked at the chart and told me I also have Ectopic
I was trying to buy the Apple Watch for monitor my AFIB . But apparently only the latest model of the Apple phone is compatible.
Have used the Kardia and wasn’t too happy 😃
Any advice Thank you
I have the iPhone 13. Not sure about others
It works with my IPhone 11
Lots of positive answers there but in the interest of balance I would caution that if you are the slightest bit obsessive then do be careful. I was a labrat with the first series of kardia when they first came to UK many years ago and it very quickly took over my life. Rather than enjoying life and trying to ignore AF I was constantly checking and joke to this day that I only started to feel normal when the batteries died.
Bobs
I have to agree to disagree on this point. In my opinion as a physician with AF , frequent EKGs can pick up asymptomatic AF. I believe all AF individuals need to do EKGs several times a day in my case I do 30 sec 3-4 times a day to know my rhythm status. I think it is like a diabetic who does blood sugars frequently. I include it in my protocol which successfully converted my AF of 2 ,years to SR now for 18 months. My BIO might help u on this issue. Hugheart
What do you hope to achieve by having a Kardia? I find it useful to record episodes and end of episodes! also to judge rate although how you feel is more important as one cardiologist I saw said I should go to A&E if I ‘felt unwell’ (ie not just anxious). My Kardia did alert me to an increased Left Bundle Branch Block which apparently mimics a heart attack so got me sent to A&E and on to an echocardiogram. It is more useful if you subscribe to it as you get more info.
Good question and perhaps not dissimilar to you, the GP told me yesterday that I should have called an ambulance if my HR was above 120. I had no idea what my HR was and no way of knowing as everything felt so random and fluttery. Now I have to follow up with my GP and of course, it's very unlikely that I'll be in AF when I see them so it's also a way for me to hopefully understand what's what going on a bit better.
Just one caution: You can see the HR change as you are recording but Kardia takes an average over the first 30 secs of recording though you can record up to 5 mins. The average is what counts - some people go by the highest number they see which may only last for two seconds and get over excited about that 😨
There were several years when I would never have left A and E is I had headed that advice. AF is not an accident nor emergency it is a chronic condition which should be treated as such . If your GP is not managing it then see an electrophysiologist. (Cardiologist who specialises in arrhythmias. )
I've had a few different home ECG monitors, including the excellent Kardia 6L. However, the one I have come to prefer, partly because it has its own very sharp miniature screen so doesn't need a phone app to work, and also has a wide range of accurate seeming AI "determinations", is the Contec PM20 (also available as the Emay 6L). It's available online. Also, it is useful as it does not require any kind of ongoing payment for any "extras". The traces from it have pleased my own specialist who thinks they are clear and accurate.
That being said, I would still say that the Apple Watch is the most useful ECG I have since it sits on my wrist ready to catch any issues almost instantly.
Steve
I have several "gadgets" for monitoring/tracking/recording my AF episodes including Wellue 24 Hour ECG recorder, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and KardiaMobile 6L. They each have their strengths and use in meeting my needs. I hadn't heard of the Contec PM20 but have just ordered one based on your recommendation. It appears to largely be an alternative to my Kardia but I'll see how it goes. Thanks for the heads up!
In a way it is similar to the Kardia in offering the option of a "6 lead"; but, most of all, I've come to like the fact that I don't need to use my phone with it, unless I want to print off or email an ECG. It's mini-screen works a treat, too, and it has a wide range of AI results that suits the various arrhythmias I get.
I believe you’re right about Apple Watch !
I wasn’t happy with KardiaMobile, one lead !
I was trying to get Apple Watch , but it wasn’t compatible with my iPhone .. Perhaps I need to look for older Apple Watch model 🤔?
If Contec PM20 or Emay? record the ECG , how it forwarded to cardiologist or printed than?
Thank you
It depends on the software that your phone is using. Do you know which (or which phone model)?
Steve
iPhone 7 Plus IOS 15.03
Thank you
Hi - the iPhone 7 is, sadly, not supported by all of the modern apps. It’s still such a nice phone but its processor is rather old.
The phone that comes closest to it - but there’s no “plus” size - and which I’ve now bought three for various family members is the iPhone SE. It’s an excellent small phone, near identical to the “7” and runs the latest of everything. All Apple Watches work well with it.
If you need a larger but not new phone then the iPhone 13 is the one I would buy.
The 6-leads on any home ECG aren’t, in my experience, that much use in terms of what the device offers. All of the AI determinations on home devices use just the two-lead / two fingers connection. Even for a doctor, the six lead readings offer not that much, I find.
Steve
Hi, does this one misread LBBB like the Wellvue? I’ve been having some issues since my medication change and recorded a 7 hr strip the other day and it said all of my lbbb (approx 5 hrs of the 7) was VT and I noticed it didn’t even report on one lot! I’ve come to totally ignoring the report as it’s 100% inaccurate so far. 
It seems the case that having LBBB does upset all AI determinations and there's no way around this. However... the Contec ECG never shows "VT" or similar, in error, but shows the generic label of "arrhythmia". Occasionally, it has thrown up something odd like, "ST Elevation", which is the LBBB fooling it.
It is this that makes it much better and more useful as, at least, it is not mis-reporting in the same way and suggesting something frightening. When it reports "arrhythmia" then, although that is not all that descriptive or useful, at least it is accurate. When it shows (rarely) "ST Elevation", then although quite wrong, it is obviously so since having that would be an aspect of having had a recent coronary event, which of course, would be known about.
So, on balance, I like the way the Contec device works and find it really rather good. I still think the Wellue is a useful device for its ability to measure over long periods, but caution is needed in taking notice of its results.
Steve
Yes, I’m definitely enjoying the ability to record for hours. That’s a bonus. I might have a look at the Contec but I probably have enough gadgets now.
I started using one in 2013. They gave me a very valuable education. Fortunately my EP was respectful of the device... the cardiologist and GP called it an unreliable gadget.
Kardia has never let me down, any of the 3 options are great. The 6L is not necessary, as the EPs will only look at the single lead regardless, so if cost is a factor go for the least expensive they do the job. The Kardia card works, but you cannot replace the battery when it dies.
Just a few thoughts... hope you get your heart untangled so you don't need a Kardia!
Take care,
Dear Yanbart,
I bought my Kardiamobile from Amazon. It’s the 6 lead one and it helps me to keep a daily record of my AFib. I have compared notes with a doctor who said he also has one at home. You have an option of designating the doctor as your ‘carer’ and Kardia sends a report or you can keep printouts to show him or her. I use it with my IPad.
Thank you for your reply.
I don't think it has been specifically stated here so I will add: the Kardia is certified as a Medical Device i.e. its determinations certified and treated by professionals as of medical diagnostic quality. It was my EP who suggested I get one in order to confirm that I had PAF and to capture ECGs that I could send him.
Many thanks for your reply.
Hi these, what is the price of these.
which country are you in ? If the UK, then you can get the KardiaMobile 1 Lead version for £90 off Amazon. I think £100 from Kardia direct.
Note that you need a smartphone to use it.
Flecainide and Blackouts
Monitoring patients on Flecainide
JUST SEEKING REASSURANCE
Getting the Meds Right Short of Ablation
8months post first ablation and ? slow AF episode
