Original vs. Enhanced ECG Filter on the AliveCor AliveECG app

The AliveCor Heart Monitor device is an iPhone case that provides ECG recording as you hold your device.

The new "enhanced" filter dramatically improves the readability of an ECG and you can see that by comparing these 2 images:

Here is the Original Filter (click on the image below to magnify):

vs. the new Enhanced Filter (click on the image below to magnify):

After you record an ECG, you can switch views from the Original to Enhanced filter. I'm very impressed by the quality of the ECG readings you're able to capture using the AliveCor Heart Monitor iPhone case.

AliveCor updates AliveECG app to increase ECG quality

The AliveCor Heart Monitor device is an iPhone case that provides ECG recording as you hold your device. The recent update to the AliveECG app provides cleaner ECG recordings.

The addition of the enhanced filter reduces the background noise to deliver a clear signal and ECG recording for better discrimination and interpretation. Even if experiencing mild tremors, a clear recording can be achieved.

It is now easier than ever to annotate your ECG reading with your symptoms and activities. Once the ECG recording is complete, the annotation screen automatically pops up. Just tap on the symptoms and/or activities or exit from the screen. Annotation can be important for you and your physician to recognize patterns and potential triggers affecting your ECG results.

AliveCor's iPhone EKG Heart Monitor Now Shipping

The AliveCor's iPhone EKG Heart Monitor is shipping in the USA now!

I have one of these and I would highly recommend this as an absolutely essential accessory for any US health care professional who uses an iPhone.

The current case fits the iPhone 4 or 4S and a case for the iPhone 5 should be coming later this year.

The Heart Monitor snaps onto your iPhone for an instant ECG rate and rhythm assessment tool that fits in your pocket.


AliveCor’s Heart Monitor has been used in several clinical trials along with rigorous testing through numerous medical professionals and in many ongoing studies at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, USC’s Center for Body Computing, and other institutions. Abstracts were presented in 2012 at three major cardiology meetings, demonstrating usability, accuracy, and the ability to use the device for community screening.


The device is currently available to U.S. medical professionals only.

Learn more and place your order here.

A portable ECG in every pocket #mHS12

Whether you call the electrocardiogram an EKG or an ECG, you'll be interested to know that earlier today, AliceCor announced that they received FDA 510(k) clearance on its mobile Heart Monitor as well as CE Mark conformity. This clinical-quality, low-cost mobile ECG heart monitor, compatible with the iPhone® 4 and 4S, enables doctors to evaluate patient heart health easily, quickly and remotely. The rhythm strips can be of any duration, and are stored on the iPhone and securely in the cloud for later analysis, sharing and printing through AliveCor’s secure website. The ECG data is sent wirelessly from the Heart Monitor via AliveCor’s low-power, proprietary communication protocol, and requires no pairing between the iPhone and the device.

I've personally had the opportunity to test this device numerous times (both on myself and on others) and I've been impressed by the quality and accuracy of this two-lead device. If you're at the mHealth Summit in DC, you can view this device at the AliveCor booth #501 with QualcommLife.

2012 mHealth Summit Coverage

The 2012 mHealth Summit coverage on MedicalSmartphones.com is sponsored by HP. HP’s extensive portfolio of products, solutions, services and relationships can help your healthcare organization achieve quality business practices and provide quality patient care. Follow HP Healthcare on Twitter @HPHealthcare

Smartphones will revolutionize heart failure monitoring

As AHA (American Heart Association) wraps up today, don't miss this story about "Smartphones Poised to Revolutionize Heart Failure Monitoring."

"With today’s smartphones, which will only get more powerful, we can evaluate cardiac rhythm, or our patients can," said Dr. David E. Albert, founder and chief scientific officer of AliveCor Inc., a manufacturer of mobile monitors, including the investigational AliveCor Smartphone System.

The tools and the technology are there to help cardiologists (and patients) improve the management of heart failure. Smartphones like the iPhone will be increasingly used for wireless heart rhythm monitoring. See this 2012 Journal of the American College of Cardiology article titled, "iPhone rhythm strip–the implications of wireless and ubiquitous heart rate monitoring."

Phone Oximeter: a pulse ox on your smartphone

Soon, we're going to have access to every basic type of medical device by plugging peripherals into our smartphones. Here's a press release about Phone Oximeter: a pulse ox on your smartphone:

Critical Health Information at Your Fingertips: Low-Cost Technology Turns Smartphones and Mobile Devices into Medical Monitors

Affordable, Accessible, Real-Time Measurement of Blood Oxygen Levels, Blood Pressure and Temperature Through Mobile Devices

Vancouver, B.C. - October 17, 2012 – Lionsgate Technologies Inc. (LGTmedical), a leading provider of mobile health (mHealth) technology, will launch a revolutionary universal interface that transforms smartphones, tablets and laptops into mobile medical diagnostic tools capable of real-time vital signs monitoring.

Using standard medical sensors connected directly through the universal audio port of virtually any mobile device, the proprietary interface, called the Vital Signs DSP™ (Digital Signal Processor), provides precise monitoring of blood oxygen levels, blood pressure and body temperature which are displayed on the mobile device's monitor.

The availability of an accurate, affordable mobile medical diagnostic tool has sweeping applications in the medical/clinical and consumer markets as well as in the developing world where 64 per cent of mobile phone users are found.

This mobile app measures your heart rate by looking at you

Research from the MIT Media Lab has led to this mobile app called Cardiio - Touchless Camera Pulse Sensor.

Cardiio uses your phone’s front camera to analyze the amount of light reflected off of your face; it accurately measures your pulse without any extra hardware. Just hold your phone and look straight into the camera to get your reading, then check out the dashboard to see how it changes over time.

You can learn more here.

Testing the AliveCor iPhone ECG

Over the weekend, I had the chance to test the AliveCor iPhone ECG and had the privilege of spending time with founder Dr. David Albert. Although this device is not currently approved by the FDA or available for purchase, it has tremendous potential and I'll be following his company closely. You've probably already seen the following video that demonstrates this small device:

AFib Educator

To help healthcare providers explain AFib to patients, their families and caregivers, AF Stat has developed the AFib Educator.

This iPhone app and desktop widget provides healthcare professionals with an interactive resource to help illustrate how AFib can affect the heart; visually demonstrate the symptoms, risks and management strategies of atrial fibrillation (AFib); and where patients can learn more.

New features

• AFib management animations: demonstrates the effects of different management strategies for a heart in AFib, including:
oRate control
oRhythm control
• AFib risk animations:
oStroke risk animation:shows an AFib-related stroke to illustrate that a blood clot can travel from the heart to the brain as a result of AFib
oRemodeling process animation: depicts the remodeling process,
which is a result of untreated AFib that affects the shape and size of the heart

Skyscape’s CardioSource App Experiences Record Number of Downloads

In just over three months, CardioSource has been downloaded by more than 14,000 cardiologists and other HCPs

Marlborough, MA (July 12, 2011) – Skyscape, Inc., a subsidiary of Physicians Interactive Holdings and leading provider of mobile apps trusted by more than one million healthcare professionals, recently partnered with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) to develop the CardioSource Mobile App. Since its April 2 launch, CardioSource has been downloaded more than 14,000 times by healthcare professionals looking to make smarter decisions in real-time by accessing the most current content and studies in the field of cardiology.

Temple University uses text messages to reach underserved communities with health information

Here's a great story on MobileHealthWatch about Temple University using text messages to reach underserved communities with health information:

Temple is using a $100,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to push cardiovascular health information out to neighboring communities through text messaging.

Given that people living in underserved communities often have mobile phones, it's no surprise that the folks at Temple University would choose this method to reach this patient population. Here are a few additional snippets from the Temple news story:

Much of the area around Temple is classified as medically underserved, which is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services as having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high poverty and/or a high elderly population. Further, medically underserved populations may face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to health care.

William Santamore, Professor of Medicine and Director of Telemedicine Research, said the goal of Telemedicine Light is to get around those barriers to disseminate health information effectively.

Free cardiology mobile apps from Skyscape at #ACC11

Make sure to visit the Skyscape Mobile App Center at the ACC Central Booth. Skyscape in collaboration with American College of Cardiology is offering a 3 month subscription to a select collection of cardiology resources.

Bonus Cardiology package* includes:

a. DrDrugs(r): Drug Guide for Physicians
b. The Washington Manual Cardiology Subspecialty Consult
c. Cochrane Reviews in Heart
d. Cochrane Reviews in Vascular Disease
e. The Johns Hopkins POC-IT(r) ABX Guide
f. Labs 360
g. Archimedes 360

You can get some free cardiology mobile apps by visiting: www.skyscape.com/acc11

Free Echocardiography Atlas app from Epocrates at #ACC11

I'm here at ACC 2011 and it's great to see the attention mobile apps are receiving at the ACC Central booth. I saw Epocrates, Skyscape, and other mobile app providers speaking with cardiologists about mobile apps.

This week, Epocrates is giving away the Echocardiography Atlas for free. You can download this app for free from April 2nd to April 10th. This app is available for iOS.

If you swing by the ACC Central booth, you can pick up a free 1-year subscription to Epocrates Essentials for cardiologists.

Listen to Heart Sounds with Your iPhone!

Author: Brittany Chan

There's been tremendous hype about the new blood pressure cuff for iPhone. What if you could also use your iPhone to listen for abdominal gurgles, wheezes, or even the heartbeat of your unborn child?

The iStethoscope Expert app makes this possible, and best of all, it's free! You can use your device's microphone to listen for heart, lung, and bowel sounds. The app has a built-in noise canceler that will help amplify the sound of interest. If your device does not have a microphone, or if you'd simply like to enhance the sound, you may purchase the CardioTech electronic stethoscope peripheral by Zetris for $24.99.

Notable features of this app include:
- Guides to heart, lung, and bowel sounds, including phonocardiograms, audio demonstrations and text explanations.
- Sound interpreters that help determine the underlying pathology of an abnormal sound.
- Stethoscope sound library including over 60 sounds.
- Hear fetal heart sounds at 20 weeks.
- Record, send, and save sounds for review.

The iPhone ECG is the newest in point-of-care mobile health technology

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD


The iPhone ECG is a device that attaches to your iPhone like a protective case. On the back of the device are two electrodes that will be able to detect a patient’s cardiac rhythm.

The news was first broke by 3GDoctor and shows several photos of the device.

It’s a portable cardiac monitoring device. The iPhone ECG has the ability to detect and display one lead. It also has recording capabilities.

There is not a lot of information about the device at this time. However, I have an exclusive interview with Dr. David Albert at the Digital Health Summit next weekend. He is the man behind the concept of the iPhone ECG.

Cardiology Drug Guide 2010 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Cardiology Drug Guide 2010 is the authoritative reference on cardiovascular medications for cardiologists, primary care physicians, physicians in training, physician assistants and any health care professional managing drug therapy regimens in patients with cardiovascular disease. This essential resource is updated annually and offers comprehensive data on the science and application of cardiovascular drugs available today, including pharmacology, administration and dosages. This unique guide also includes a chapter on prescribing drugs for common cardiovascular conditions.

Key features include:

• Comprehensive drug information including trade and generic names; important interactions, contraindications and precautions
• Summary tables in every chapter for quick reference
• Practical frameworks for prescribing cardiovascular drugs

Click to view in iTunes.

Thinklabs Stethoscope App

I wish I had this when I was a medical student.

Thinklabs Stethoscope App
Visual Heart & Lung Sounds - Watch what you hear

Thinklabs helps you visualize and record heart sounds with your iPhone or iPod touch.

The App sets a new standard for medical device user interfaces, using iPhone's outstanding multi-touch interface.

Features:

- Record and Display waveforms and spectrogram in real time.
- Scroll and Zoom In/Out using multi-Touch user interface.
- Edit Sounds on-screen.
- Save Recorded sounds.
- Email Sounds and Images, along with notes.
Hardware - stethoscope and input device

To listen to heart sounds, an electronic stethoscope is required. The Thinklabs Digital Stethoscope ds32a has been tested with the iPhone and iPod Touch. An external Made for iPod / Works with iPhone audio input device with audio input jack is required in order to connect the stethoscope to the iPod. We recommend the Belkin TuneTalk.

Click here to learn more about this medical app.

7 Useful, Free iPhone Apps for Medical Professionals

This is a guest post written by: Dena White

The new iPhone is a fantastically convenient device. This great little machine is a web browser, an iPod, an email client, as well as many more gadgets that are great for helping the medical professional with his or her everyday tasks. Even better, there are quite a number of different medical applications that will make your life easier. Let us find out more about the seven iPhone applications that we found most useful for medical professionals.

Drug Pronunciations Lite

Drug Pronunciations Lite is a useful application that plays back audio that correctly pronounces more than two hundred different drug names that are currently on the market. Practically everyone in the field of medicine from physicians and pharmacists to nursing students and medical techs will benefit from this free medical app.

Relax with Andrew Johnson Lite

The life of a medical professional is fast paced and can be overwhelming at times. The ability to relax completely and alleviate stress is critical to staying healthy. Relax with Andrew Johnson Lite is the great way to slow the world down a notch or two. It teaches techniques for relaxation to aid in pain control, ME, posttraumatic stress disorder, pain control, and several other stress-related symptoms.

HRS.09 eGuide

This is an electronic, interactive version of the program for the Heart Rhythm 2009 conference. No need to flip through countless pages to find the information that you want, it is all at your fingertips with this complete eGuide, with features such as local information, adding sessions to your personal calendar, session filters, as well as brief session information.

a – Choo!

This free medical app is a fast and convenient way to stay updated on the "Swine Flu" virus, H1N1.

ACC Pocket Guidelines

This one is a support tool for clinical practice that comes from the American College of Cardiology Foundation. It is the perfect portable reference tool for the active medical professional. This great application comes with Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography Appropriateness Criteria Tool that gives you a convenient reference list of common uses, both appropriate and not, of echocardiography. It also features a decision support app that guides physicians on ordering SPECT MPI to detect and assess coronary artery disease. You have the option of choosing a specific tool or taking them all.

Skyscape Medical Resources

This one is an extremely useful collection of free resources for decision support and medical information for medical professionals such as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, nursing students, medical students and many others in the healthcare field.

ACC.09 eGuide

This is an electronic, interactive guide to the ACC.09/i2 Summit 2009. This app puts all the information you want right in the palm of your hand with great features such as session filters, detailed presentation information, the ability to add sessions to your personal calendar, shuttle and hotel information for the area in and around the convention, as well as important details and location information for all exhibitors.

Always On, On The Go

Medical professionals are no strangers to life on the go. These are just a few of the most useful apps for medical professionals. Take the time to check online from time to time to get the most current medical applications for your iPhone.

Dena White is a freelance writer and covers topics such as nurses assistant and medical careers, health care topics, and more.

FREE Epocrates Cardiology through Cardiosource

Are you a member of the ACC (American College of Cardiology)? Do you use Cardiosource? You may be happy to know that Epocrates and Cardiosource have joined forces up to provide a FREE one-year, one-time subscription to Essentials for Cardiology. Visit Cardiosource and look for the information about Epocrates by clicking here. More and more physicians are abandoning Palm and Pocket PC/Windows Mobile and moving to the iPhone and BlackBerry, so it's great to have Epocrates for these mobile devices.