KardiaMobile 1-Lead Personal EKG Monitor – Record at Home – Detects AFib & Irregular Arrhythmias – Easy Results in 30 Seconds – Works w/Most Smartphones – FSA/HSA Eligible

A life saver
I started having an irregular heart rhythm, and my nurse recommended this device. I have a health care background and appreciate this easy-to-use heart monitor. Since it works with my android phone, that is also a big plus. There is an additional expense per month to activate the device, but it has been well worth 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.

It Only Takes 30 Seconds to Check Your Heart.
This heart monitor is wonderful. I have had a heart condition for almost 6 years. My husband bought me this because I occasionally get like funny feelings in my chest. I use the monitor when I get these feelings I take a reading. It’s very easy to use and it puts my mind to rest knowing that those feelings are PVCs.

I cannot recommend this enough for those with heart problems and their caregivers. The mobile app works well with our blood pressure monitor; listing the readings together is very helpful. This helped me to know the difference between symptom severity and was invaluable in providing the right information that made the decision to go to the hospital. Without it, I would have likely waited or hesitated because the symptoms seemed the same physically as other times that would settle down. This made it clear something was different and it was time to act. While in the ER the situation deteriorated rapidly and we were so thankful to be at the hospital to receive rapid treatment. If we weren’t there, I don’t know that it would have worked out. When managing heart disease and heart failure, it is difficult to know when you are over reacting and when those symptoms have progressed to requiring intervention. This device is an amazing invaluable tool that will help give confidence in either case.Very easy to set up and use. Pairing with an omron BP monitor is very easy and helpful. I haven’t used the features for sharing with the cardiologist directly. It takes some use and practice with assessing the overall condition using all your tools and knowledge you quickly learn when a loved one is diagnosed. It doesn’t say you are having a heart attack specifically, it will say ‘possible atrial fibrillation’ or other status results. This is just one tool in that assessment however, I believe it was the most important tool we have. We had only got it 2 weeks before.

Das Gerät funktioniert auf Anhieb mit meinem Iphone 6S und Android Nexus 7 2013. Die Installation der App über den jeweiligen Store hat auf Anhieb funktioniert. Da Kardia über das Mikrofon des Smartphones/Tablets hochfrequente Töne empfängt, ist auch keine weitere Verbindung notwendig. Einfach neben Iphone legen und “EKG Aufzeichnen” drücken. Dabei wird gleichzeitig die HF genau angezeigt. Die durchschnittliche HF während der 30 Sekunden EKG Messung wird ebenfalls ermittelt. In der Messkurve ist dann das gemesse EKG genau zu sehen. Die App fragt dann ob es die eigene Messung war oder ein “Gast” gemessen wurde. Bei der eigenen Messung geht das Ergebnis in den Cloudspeicher und in die Chronik. Somit sind alle vorhergehenden Messungen verfügbar. Egal ob man eigene Messungen oder andere Leute gemessen hat, ist der Email Versand als pdf super einfach. Aus der Kontaktliste seiner Kontakte im Iphone nur auswählen, senden drücken und schon geht die EKG email mit angehängter pdf Kurve zum Empfänger, egal wo der sich befindet.Zusätzlich kann man auch noch Ruhepuls, Gewicht, Medikation, Aktivität und Gefühlslage von Hand eingeben. Die Bedienung ist somit super einfach. Bei allen Leuten, bei denen ich das Gerät getestet habe, hat es auf Anhieb funktioniert und gute Ergebnisse gebracht. Alle haben gestaunt vorallem wenn sie weniger Sekunden später die Messung am Computer sehen konnten. Auf einem großen Computerbildschirm sieht man natürlich mehr als auf dem Iphone.Aufgefallen ist mir, dass bei etwas feuchten Fingern die Trendkurve noch genauer wird. Wenn man warme, feuche Hände hat sieht das Signal super genau aus. Bei trockenen Händen kann es Artifakte geben. Deshalb feuchte ich meine Finger leicht an vorher.Die automatische Auswertung erlaubt nur das Erkennen von Möglichen Vorhofflimmern. Hier kann man mit der Apple Watch und dem anderen Gerät noch mehr erreichen.Nachteilig ist das nur bis 100 Herzfrequenz gemessen werden kann. Ich habe das Gerät im Fitnessstudio getestet und musste immer warten bis meine HF unter 100 gefallen war. Somit kann eine stärkere Belastung beim Sport nicht erfasst werden.Trotzdem gebe ich 5 Sterne weil das ganze System sehr innovativ ist und sicher noch optimiert wird. Wir stehen mit solchen Technologien noch am Anfang und Maschine Learning Algorithmen, welche auch hier verwendet werden sind sehr innovativ.Kann das Gerät für alle Leute empfehlen, die regelmäßig eine Routinekontrolle machen wollen. Wer richtig herzkrank ist sollte sich lieber in ärztiche Behandlung begeben aber wer erstmal EKG Kurven regelmäßig monitoren möchte, ähnlich wie Blutdruckmessgeräte, ist hier richtig.