AliveCor ECG Monitor

AliveCor monitors your heart by observing single-channel electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythms. It also displays ECG rhythms (on your mobile screen) and detects atrial fibrillation which is the most common form of abnormal heart condition responsible for chest pain, fainting or even congestive heart failure.

AliveCor is a US based company, which has introduced the device in India in collaboration with Appollo Hospitals.

How accurate is AliveCor?

The portable heart rate monitor has been given clearance by United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its accuracy to detect atrial fibrillations. It is compatible with iPhones and a variety of Android smartphones. We tested it on Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 3GS.

How to use:

Setting up the device is quite an easy job. You just need to install the AliveECG application for your device. The application requires an account setup to use the ECG monitor.

After setting up the account you can simply start taking readings that will be stored at two places: one in the application itself on your mobile device and the other on the AliveCor’s server.

The recorded readings can be sent to your doctor via email (from the app itself) so that you can get instant information about your health. The application also has a library of all sorts of useful cardiac information.

The PDF report of a reading occupies just 35KB of space. Also, you do not need any prescription for using it. The application provides separate features for medical professionals. Once they register, they can add their patients and allow those patients to send their ECGs directly to them through this app.

You can stick the monitor at the back of your smartphone but it is really tough to remove the monitor once it is fixed. So we recommend buying an extra back cover on which you can stick the monitor.

The monitor takes the electrical signals when you rest your fingers on it and converts them to ultrasound waves to communicate with your phone through its microphone. It is very light so you can keep it fixed without worrying about the increased weight.

We took readings in various situations for varying levels of physical activity during the day and found a definite difference in the readings. You can also comment on a particular reading to keep track of the situation in which it was taken.

How is it useful?:

This device will be useful for people undergoing cardiac treatment. They don’t have to take the trouble of going all the way to a diagnostic lab if they’d just like to share a quick ECG with their doctor.

Any health conscious person might also find this device useful. Lastly, doctors and physicians can also use this to check the ECG of their patients and then decide whether to send them to a diagnostic center for a detailed investigation.

With all such advantages, there are some setbacks too. The manufacturer has not recommended the monitor for patients with a cardiac pacemaker as it may not accurately detect the pacing spikes from the pacemaker.

Another disadvantage of the device is its non-continuous nature of monitoring heart activity that does not integrate any provisions for prior alerts in case of any emergencies. A patient has to trigger the monitoring action by himself that may not be possible in severe heart conditions.