Home EKG monitors

Kardia Mobile

by AgentX86 - 2020-10-10 19:56:53

This is a great device. Well worth your money. Id recommend the "six lead" version. The big deal is that you can send your EKG to your EP or for a nominal cost, have one of their techs read it. If you have an Afib episode, what are you going to do about it? Pill in the pocket? If so, YES, get it. If it's only so you can worry about it, don't bother. If you're being treated for it, there isn't much to worry about.

I gave mine to my son because I have no real need for it. I know how screwed up my heart's electrical system is. It's not going to change.

(added last sentence of first paragraph - a little rushed because of a tornado warning)

Monitoring of AFib

by Gemita - 2020-10-11 03:41:54

Like AgentX86 says, Kardia Mobile 6-lead would be an excellent choice to record ECGs to take the evidence to our doctors.  However we must decide what we want to achieve, where we want to go with this information?  Do we just want to record for interest sake, for reassurance or to help us make a decision on the best way forward to treat the AFib?  

I have AFib and know immediately when I go into this rhythm disturbance from my symptoms alone.  I know whether the rate is slow or fast and I can certainly feel the irregularity of the rhythm and I know immediately when my heart goes back into normal sinus rhythm.  I keep records of my most troublesome events by using a good blood pressure monitor which copes well with AFib at heart rates up to 150 bpm.  I keep diary records not because of fear but because I wish to compare the number of symptomatic episodes I am getting now with the number I got say a year ago.  In this way I can determine whether my AFib is getting more frequent, more symptomatic, longer in duration, requiring perhaps more stringent measures like an ablation to control it.   Fortunately frequency, symptoms and duration of attacks have all declined since pacemaker implant but I am still keeping records so that I only receive treatment when it is appropriate.

I hope this helps.  There are times when I just want to forget all about my arrhythmias and live my life because it takes time to keep records but any significant symptomatic episodes need to be assessed and correlated with anything recorded by my pacemaker which is helpful for my EP/cardiologist to determine the need for any further treatment/monitoring.  But I like to be in control of any monitoring so that I can record symptomatic episodes when they actually occur, not wait for the remote chance of an external monitor being worn at the exact time I experience a significant event !  For example in April and July this year I had a significant, extremely symptomatic AFib/Flutter episode.  I kept records of the time, date, duration, symptoms and my pacemaker clinic was able to locate quickly the ECG stored and correlate my symptoms with the arrhythmia.  It was however found that an infection was triggering my increased symptoms, so the treatment was antibiotics 

Home EKG

by marylandpm - 2020-10-12 08:45:16

   I have a regular EKG machine  I ordered from a medical supply company. That was before Kardia app was available.  I have used it to see when I go into Afib and aflutter.  It is very  sensitive to picking up aflutter. More sensitive  than the pacemaker is at recording the event.  You can learn how to use it on youtube.  Since my Afib/aflutter is currently under control I only use it now if I am not feeling well and I want to rule out Afib.  It did help me to know I had a problem the the pacemaker did not detect.  

Home EKG

by AgentX86 - 2020-10-12 15:41:58

Aflutter can't be seen on a single-lead EKG, like the single lead Kardia Mobile.  It's actually  fairly hard to see even for trained eyes.  The cardiologist in the ER totally missed my flutter.  He wouldn't listen when I told him that I really was in flutter. My EP later said, "Well, perhaps he should have looked a little closer because there it is (pointing to the same EKG strip).".  The backwards sawtooth on lead-3 (IIRC) shows atypical, usually left atrial, flutter.  He knew in my case that it was left atrial because I'd had a Maze procedure that went wrong.

I believe the six-lead Kardia Mobile will show it but you have to know what to look for.  It won't tell you that it's flutter, like it will  with Afib.  BTW, there are hacks that will show other leads, other than lead-1, from a single-lead EKG.  One electrode on the finger and the other on the knee, or whatever.  Of course they're not going to be time-aligned.

Dependent

by AgentX86 - 2020-10-12 23:06:33

BTW, I'm dependent on mine too (with no escape rhythm).  There is noting to learn about that with a KM.  It may be useful just to send EKG strips to your EP.  It's certainly easier and probably a lot cheaper than going in for an EKG>

Home EKG monitors

by Thevics - 2021-01-05 16:33:08

Thanks everyone for your input....I thought I would recieve an email when someone responded.  Just now saw these.