Smartphone ECGs Are Just As Good as the Old Ones

AliveCor's ECG monitor is as good as ambulatory ECG monitors to diagnose heart palpitations, according to results of a study.

Arundhati Parmar

The diagnostic yield of the smartphone-enabled AliveCor heart monitor is comparable with that of a 14- to 30-day event monitor, according to a study abstract presented this week at the 2016 Heart Rhythm Society meeting in San Francisco.

The study, which has enrolled 23 to date and has both devices used simultaneously by patients, found that 542 total arrhythmic events were recorded by AliverCor's device while 481 were recorded by the event monitor. The diagnostic yield showed that the mobile health device was comparable with the more-widely used event monitor in diagnosing heart palpitations.

Two cardiologists evaluated the rhythm strips recorded by AliveCor, while the event monitor recordings were interpreted separately and independently by two cardiologists.

The AliveCor ECG--which is now branded as Kardia Mobile--consists of a pair of electrodes incorporated into a smartphone case that is able to record a standard lead I of a 12-lead ECG

The non-inferiority result is an important step in incorporating digital health mobile health tools into routine practice, in this case in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, where a person's heart beats too slow or too fast or with an irregular rhythm.

In fact, study authors recommend that the AliveCor ECG be used as a first approach for the diagnosis of cardiac palpitations.

In 2012, FDA cleared the AliveCor ECG. Kardia Mobile is available for purchase for $99 through AliveCor's website. A companion app helps users track their heart rate, record their symptoms and share their EKG with a doctor.

The San Francisco company is also developing the Kardia Band--not yet FDA cleared--that integrates with the Apple Watch.

Here's how Kardia Mobile and Kardia Band works:

Arundhati Parmar is a senior editor at UBM.

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