Kardia - which model?

[GraunReader]

just got back from my gp, who recommended using a Kardia to capture various intermittent heart oddities - trouble is, I see there’s more than 1 model, eg single or six lead. Do you, dear reader, have any comments on the subject of which one to buy. I already have an Apple watch however its the 2nd gen SE which I understand, doesn't have the necessary heart monitoring features to capture suitable info. for the cardiologist.

[HamishBoxer]

The Kardia 6 L is the best and well respected.

[Blearyeyed]

The Kardia 6L is recommended by the NHS.Don't forget it is better than a Smart watch but it is a guideline only even though it is medical grade it can sometimes give false positive or negative readings , especially if you hold it too firmly or you are close to other electronic devices.

So , if you get positive readings and have symptoms contact your GP surgery or 111.

Big tip is try not to get obsessed by it , if you are symptom free you only need to check once a month , and like with a blood pressure reading ( which you could do at the same time to create a detailed record) sit comfortably with your legs up for 30minutes before taking a monitoring reading.

If you have more complex issues you could do it once a week.

Take it at least one hour after getting up and having your medication, or two hours after physical activity or a meal to get a more accurate picture.

If you are symptomatic still sit with legs raised comfortably for 5-10mins before taking the reading.

[Wonky_heart]

I was advised by my cardiologist to get the cheaper standard Kardia which did show the atrial flutter that standard GP brief ecg's would miss (because I wasn't having the AF at that exact time). I found I was getting fixated on capturing every event and it seemed to take over my life. I realised the downside of the Kardia (either version) was that I had to stop what I was doing, stay still for 30 seconds to capture (hopefully) what was happening. I couldn't capture what happened during exercise or when asleep. So I got a chest strap monitor. I wear this all the time and download the info once a day. I can carry on as normal and find I don't really think about what my heart is doing as I know it's captured by the monitor. I get really useful printouts which the cardiologist says are far better than anything he's seen. I can see patterns in my ectopic beats and as I can set a high heart rate 'alarm' (it vibrates) I can set it to tell me when my rate goes over 130 which tells me during exercise to slow down without having to stop and look at the monitor. The Kardia was good, but I've found the chest strap so much more reassuring and helpful. I've been able to provide printouts of all the AFIB episodes and am now waiting for another ablation to hopefully deal with this.

[JensonCat in reply to Wonky_heart]

Hi, I’m interested in what you say about a chest strap monitor. Would you mind telling me which make and model you use? Thank you!

[Wonky_heart in reply to JensonCat]

I have the Wellue Viatom ecg recorder. Their website is getwellue.com but I got it from amazon.

[Hidden]

Can I just make you aware before you go splashing the cash. Some cardiologits may disregard any readings from these kind of devices. ❤

[KeepingHealthy]

Hi, I have Paroxysmal AF and bought the 6L, I can recommend that one. I'm not sure what the price difference is though.