Personal EKGs
We think that EKG screening can be as approachable as taking blood pressure - Judy Wade, AliveCor President and CEO
image by: AliveCor
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Smartwatches Are Changing the Purpose of the EKG
Think of the stereotypical representations of medicine, as they might appear on a television show: the crisp white coat, of course, and the stethoscope dangling at the ready. Syringes and intravenous lines, maybe. An X-ray or a CT scan slammed theatrically into a light box.
But any medical scene is incomplete without an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine running in the background, its jagged line tracing across the screen reassuringly, or alarmingly to cue a dramatic threat. The EKG is the backbeat of many hospital scenes on television. Important medical things are happening here, it says.
To tap into that potent association, many private medical practices, urgent-care clinics,…
Resources
Can a Smartwatch Save Your Life?
The advent of wearable devices that monitor our heart rhythms both excites and worries doctors.
Apple Watch ECG vs. hospital EKG: Not the results I was expecting
Apple Watch Series 4 has two FDA-cleared heart features that can warn about life-threatening conditions. Here's what happened when I tested Apple's ECG against a medical-grade EKG.
Comparison and review of portable, handheld, 1-lead/channel ECG / EKG recorders
There are so many handheld ECG devices now available that choosing which one to get can be daunting and not easy! To begin with, choosing a device depends partly on whether you are (1) a medical provider (physician, clinic, etc.) looking for a device to prescribe or send out with your patients or (2) a layperson with various understanding (from little or none to much) about the subject of ECG.
Is Your Heartbeat Off, or Blood Sugar High? On the Road, You Can Keep Track
Dr. Frisch said the quality of recordings from the Kardia and the latest Apple Watch were very similar and provide a single view of the heart that is “an approximation” of the standard EKG. But Kardia is coming out with a new device, the KardiaMobile 6L, which Dr. Frisch said would allow doctors to view the same heart rhythm from six different angles. Users rest the 6L on the bare skin of either their left knee or their ankle and hold it in place with two fingers for 30 seconds.
What you should know about personal EKG devices
Keep in mind that these devices rely on just one or two points of contact, or leads, to track heart activity. Hospital EKGs use 12 leads and are more reliable and accurate. Don’t panic if you have an unusual reading; share the information with your doctor, who can then confirm or negate the validity of the finding.
Smartwatches Are Changing the Purpose of the EKG
Now that EKGs are making their way into smartwatches, their symbolic purpose could risk overtaking their medical one.
AliveCor
Take a medical-grade EKG anytime, anywhere. In just 30 seconds, detect Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia or Normal heart rhythm
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