KardiaMobile 1-Lead Private EKG Monitor – Report at Residence – Detects AFib & Irregular Arrhythmias – Straightforward Leads to 30 Seconds – Works w/Most Smartphones – FSA/HSA Eligible

Excellent unit
Easy to use. Love it

Good device – delivers on advertised capability. Additional features available through subscription via app.
Like a lot of people, when I first saw the commercial for this device I questioned how anything at this price point and size could provide accurate results for an EKG – something that I’ve always had to be hooked up with leads at my doctor’s office to get. I haven’t been to my cardiologist since purchasing the monitor, so I can’t comment on its accuracy from a medical perspective just yet. (I will update the review with this information when I have it.) The remainder of my review will focus on its features and getting things up and running “out of the box”.Initial device setupTake it out of the box, and remove the plastic from around the battery on the bottom of the device. The physical part of the setup is that simple. There are no on or off buttons (or buttons of any kind) on the device itself – it’s about as simple as you can get. This is definitely a plus for a device like this. After all, if someone is experiencing an incident and trying to take an EKG the last thing one wants to do is fumble with buttons and switches. Kudos on the design!App setup and useThe app was fairly easy as well – download it from the App Store and create your account in it. The app guides you through taking your first EKG as well, which leads to the only “surprise” that I got out of the whole process: after taking your first EKG, it must be submitted to Alivecor for a medical review. This review must be completed by them (well, a medical professional through them) before you can do anything else with the device. The message in their app says it typically takes up to 24 hours to complete this review (mine was completed in around 20 hours). Until that’s complete, the device is essentially a paperweight (albeit a cool looking one).Initial EKGAs mentioned earlier, your first EKG must be reviewed by one of Alivecor’s medical professionals before you can continue using the device. The app states that this is an FDA requirement. The device is regulated by the FDA so the statement is logical – plus it just makes sense from both a quality control and legal perspective. This, however, is one thing that they do not advertise enough prior to purchase. They do state it on their website – but it’s buried in the Frequently Asked Questions section. This wasn’t a big deal to me, and in fact was a benefit. (Who wouldn’t want a board certified cardiologist to look at an EKG and provide an interpretation for free?) However, those who expect to get the monitor and “jump right in” taking recording after recording on the first day will be disappointed that they can’t.Subsequent EKGsIt’s simple to take an EKG, and only takes about a minute to complete. Sit down with a solid flat surface in front of you. Get as comfortable as you can. Open the app, and place the phone as close as you can to the monitor. The instructions say within 12 inches, and they provide an attachment plate that will attach the device to your phone. (I haven’t used the attachment plate, so I can’t comment on it.) Click on the “Record Now” button. Place the index and middle fingers from both hands on the plates on the device and sit still and relax for 30 seconds. Afterward, the app will ask whether the EKG was of you or someone else. That’s it – easier and quicker than getting hooked up with all those pads from your doctor’s EKG machine.An instant analysis will indicate if the EKG was normal, abnormal, or unclassified. Normal is, of course, what you want to hear. There are a number of reasons that the EKG could be unclassified that are listed under the Frequently Asked Questions section of Alivecor’s website. One of mine came back unclassified when my heart rate was over 90 – so I’d recommend not using this to take an EKG immediately after exercising. (I did this as a test to see what the EKG monitor could do.)The App – Premium FeaturesWhile the device is simple and well designed, it’s useless without its companion app, which works well on my iPhone 7 Plus. While the app is fairly easy to navigate and includes some good features, those who bought the EKG monitor with the expectation of getting more than a simple “record and store one result” experience without purchasing a subscription will be disappointed.When creating your account in the app, you’re given the option of starting a free 30 day trial of Alivecor’s premium service. My recommendation is to try it out. This adds some features to the app that are handy – a place to record resting heart rate, medications taken for the day, blood pressure from an Omron cuff, and a weight diary. While all those features and useful and good, the main reason to consider a premium subscription is storage of multiple EKG test results. (Without a premium subscription, only the last result is stored.)This subscription is available for $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually, and payment information must be entered manually through the app. This is primarily what prevents my review for this device from being 5 stars. In my opinion, $10 per month is too expensive for a subscription price, unless someone has cardiac issues which require frequent monitoring. $4.99 per month or even less for the casual user would provide better value. I also think that the EKG journal feature (which saves more than just the most recent EKG reading) should be part of the basic (free) plan. Lastly, the app doesn’t accept ApplePay for subscription fees.ConclusionThe device is simple to use, and so is the app. This has great potential, and I’d recommend that those who wish to do more than monitor their heart rate and blood pressure consider buying this EKG monitor. Just be prepared to pay more than the purchase price of the equipment in service fees annually to make the monitor as useful as it can be.

NOT A MEDICAL GRADE EKG !!
This is a great product for diagnosing cardiac rhythm problems, but this device is marketed as a “Medical Grade EKG”, WHICH IT EMPHATICALLY IS NOT!. I am a Board Certified Emergency Physician of 46 years practice experience, and have read literally thousands of EKG’s over the years in the Emergency Department. An EKG is twelve separate electical views of the heart, and is used as a standard part of Cardiac / Chest Pain evaluation in the Emergency Department. This device is a single limb lead and is quite useful for determining two things, RATE & RHYTHM. It cannot diagnose Coronary Heart Disease based upon the fact that it is a single lead rhythm strip. An EKG is twelve separate electrical views of the heart, not one. I wish to emphasize that this device will assist in the diagnosis of rhythm abnormalities, BUT IS NOT A MEDICAL GRADE EKG – WHICH IS EMPHATICALLY FALSE ADVERTISING!! Kardia Mobile can determine only the RATE & RHYTHM of the heart, but cannot substitute for a 12 lead EKG performed by a physician in an office or hospital setting. RATE refers to the number of beats per minute. RHYTHM refers to evaluation of the conduction system of the heart, e.g. Sinus Rhythm, First, Second, and Third Degree AV Block, Atrial Fibrillation, and Atrial and Ventricular Premature Beats. With the exception of Sinus Rhythm, these are conduction abnormalites of the heart. This is where Kardia Mobile really shines. Often patients only experience rhythm problems intermittently, and the Kardia Mobile device allows one to perform a Rhythm Strip duing the time frame when symptoms are occuring, such as when patients complain that their heart beat is irregular, or skipping beats. It is a wonderful device for diagnosing Rhythm Abnormalites, but is not useful in the setting of Chest Pain evaluation and determining the presence or absence of Coronary Artery Disease. It is a hugh mistake to think this little device is a “Medical Grade EKG” in the setting of evaluating Chest Pain. It cannot diagnosis a heart attack or Cardiac Ischemia when a patient is experience Chest Pain. To think of this device as a Medical Grade EKG is going to get someone hurt or potentially dead if they rely on this device in place of a Chest Pain Evaluation in the hospital where we take into account history, risk factors, Serial EKGs, Chest X-ray, Laboratory Testing and medical interventions such as Nitroglycering or Thombolysis when someone is having a heart attack. Kardia Mobile needs to change their marketing to reflect that this device is only useful for diagnosis of Rhythm Abnormalites and in determinging the Rate of the heart beat. It has no place in the evaluation of Chest Pain. Marketing this device as “A MEDICAL GRADE EKG” IS FALSE ADVERTISING and could well result in someone getting hurt as a result of the FALSE ADVERTISING. Kardia Mobile is only useful for determine the RATE & RHYTHM of the heartbeat and is not to be used in the setting of Chest Pain evaluation. This misunderstanding could lead the unknowing person to delay seeking appropriate evaluation of Chest Pain of Cardiac origin.J. Dan Weathers, M.D., F.A.C.E.P. – Board Certified Emergency Physician

This monitor was recommended by my Nurse Practitioner and I must say, it was easy to use. Once you download the app, it can be used within minutes.Instructions are brief, but clear, especially in outlining what it should and shouldn’t be used for. It can record your results , which is great for tracking purposes.If your healthcare professional recommends this type of monitor, this particular product works great.

Der EKG Monitor funktioniert gut, erkennt Vorhofflimmern sowie den normalen Sinusrytmus. Die Installation ist einfach, kann ich weiter empfehlen!