AliveCor, Omron partner to target stroke with new app
In a bid to provide patients with a complete view of their heart health, AliveCor announced this week that it will integrate data from Omron blood pressure monitors into its ECG Kardia Mobile application.
AliveCor’s Kardia Mobile is an electrocardiogram device that attaches to the back of a tablet or smartphone. This FDA approved device shows you whether your heart rhythm is normal or if atrial fibrillation is detected in your EKG.
A patient opens the mobile app and rests his or her fingers on the device’s electrodes. He or she may also verbally record any symptoms, such as palpitations. The app then analyzes the ECG, telling the patient if the results are normal, or if afib is detected. The app also allows you to share data with your doctor via an emailed PDF or an API that allows electronic medical records systems to pull from it.
Omron, on the other hand, is a well known name in the world of blood pressure monitoring. In fact, the Omron 10 is our choice for the best connected smart blood pressure monitor. This is a no frills, reliable, simple “does what it says on the tin” device.
“We not only have FDA approval for our physical device, but this app’s instant analysis that tells you if we’ve detected atrial fibrillation is a separate FDA clearance,” says Vic Gundotra, AliveCor’s CEO and former senior executive at Google and Microsoft.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Patients with atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure have a much higher risk of stroke.
“Somebody with high blood pressure has almost twice the risk of stroke than somebody without high blood pressure,” wrote Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., professor and chairman of neurology at the University of Miami, in a recent American Heart Association brief.
“But someone with atrial fibrillation has more than five times the risk of stroke.”
The company has been working on ways to expand applications for its product. In addition to their handheld device, back in March, AliveCor unveiled the first medical-grade EKG band for the Apple Watch. The Kardia Band puts its sensors directly onto a Apple Watch band, but it is still pending FDA approval. Omron is working on its Project Zero, a blood pressure monitor that sits on your wrist.
To date AliveCor has collected nearly 10 million ECG readings. The addition of blood pressure data will allow it to learn more about how patients collect heart health data, which the company hopes will help to improve their treatment.
AliveCor’s Cardia ECG device, which is sold on Amazon, has received excellent reviews. In fact, it is so good, the UK’s National Health Services announced recently that it will start paying for it for some patients starting next year.
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