AliveCor (www.alivecorcom), which specializes in FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (EKG) technology for mobile devices, has announced what it says is the first medical-grade EKG band for the Apple Watch, the Kardia Band.
It’s due this spring, along with a new app. Pricing hasn’t been announced. The Kardia Band for Apple Watch, and new Kardia app, allow folks to discretely capture their EKG anytime, anywhere.
Users can record a single-lead EKG by simply touching Kardia Band’s integrated sensor that communicates with the Watch app, Kardia by AliveCor. The Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Detector then uses Kardia’s automated analysis process (algorithm) to detect the presence of AF in an EKG, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke. Also included is the Normal Detector, which indicates whether your heart rate and rhythm are normal, and the Unreadable Detector, which tells you when to retake an EKG so physicians receive only the highest quality recordings.
Users can also record voice memos on their Apple Watch to accompany each EKG that give doctors and caregivers a clearer picture of what was happening at the time of the recording — describing symptoms such as palpitations or external factors like caffeine intake, according to Vic Gundotra, CEO of Alivecor. Kardia also integrates seamlessly with Apple’s Health app to include EKG data with steps and calorie intake to provide richer, personal analysis over time.