ISO, good to great ECG/EKG capable wearables

Without going into too much detail, I had a less than enjoyable excursion to the ER and my desire to be able to keep a near-medical grade ECG/EKG on my person close to 24 hours a day is now much greater than before.

I'm just beginning to do research, and it seems like the Apple 4, 5, 6, and 7 have sophisticated enough sensing to mimic an adhesive-based sensor set, but what else is out there? My GF loves her Oura ring, but I'm not sure I can get something out of that that would alert on arrhythmia, tachycardia, etc. What about the KardiaCard?

Smarter people than I surely abound here! TIA

 

I can't speak to how good it is since I don't track much data outside of footsteps, but my Samsung Galaxy 4 watch has the functionality: https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-health-monitor/ Moot if you have an iphone, though.

 

What you seek is called a Holter Monitor. Most require a prescription to acquire. Continuous monitoring will catch transient episodes. While I also have a Kardia from Alivecor, it requires you are aware of an event and can deploy while the event is occurring. Short transient events are often over before deployment occurs.

I have used Wellue SpO2 products but have not tried this one:
https://getwellue.com/products/heart-health-monitor

Here is another example, again I have not used this either:
https://www.tedsmedical.com/shop/holter-ecg-monitor-heart-rec-eco/

 

Thanks, Bob! I'll look into those. The doctor who discharged me discussed the Holter, and the cardiologist who reviewed my files prior to discharge recommended it wasn't necessary. From what the discharge describes, my event was not a "complex arrhythmia" so no need for continuous monitoring. Seems the greater concern is my relatively low blood pressure. I'll keep digging. Personally, 24-7 monitoring would bring me some peace of mind.

 

If you're looking to passively monitor your heart health, a wrist based option is fine. I know Apple touts how the Apple Watch has saved lives by detecting cardiac issues in real time, and I'm sure they're honest that the AW can do this (the sensor package in the AW is pretty sophisticated), however if this were a medical necessity I would not rely solely on just a wrist based option.

Given your most recent comment in the thread, it sounds like an Apple Watch might be sufficient for your needs. Additionally the AW does support connecting to external heart rate monitors via bluetooth: https://www.imore.com/best-external-heart-rate-monitors-iphone-and-apple-watch

Personally I think the Apple Watch is the only commercial product I'd consider for this type of scenario. While it's not explicitly a medically approved device, it is used widely in medical trials and is IMO the most reliable product of this type. The one downside is that battery life is still only about 1.5-2 days. If you turn off everything except the health functions, that will help prolong battery life but even then you're not going to get a week+ out of it.

 

Just fwiw and I’m sure your doctor discussed it with you but if you have low blood pressure you need to make sure you’re staying hydrated, like drinking the requisite 8 glasses a day of water, etc. and be aware that something like a wasp sting can be serious problem now even if you aren’t allergic so you may want to see about getting an epi pen.

The Apple Watch does heart rate monitoring and on demand ECG but not blood pressure yet afaik. It also does fall detection and can call 911if you’re unable which might be valuable in your situation. If you don’t get the cellular option it uses Bluetooth to have your iPhone call.

 

Thanks - yeah, the blood pressure monitoring is for larger trends over time with the new addition of baby aspirin to my meds, and I have a small BPM from CVS that's working just fine for that, measuring twice a day. But it'd be nice to have something more automated. And I've not super low blood pressure, just 120's / 70s or 60s depending on time of day and hydration and rest.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

 

Just a small update, it's nice what insurance will pay for if the Dr. orders it. So my short term needs are covered. But thanks for all the input - this has been a frightening ordeal, and I think I'll pick up an Apple Watch 7 in a couple weeks for peace of mind. And thanks to all the Friends who've reached out via PM.

 

Don’t mess around with Apple or Samsung products. Get the FDA cleared medical device from AliveCor. They have the best algorithms in the world right now to auto detect arrhythmia. Kardia 6-lead would be best. Www.AliveCor.com