Easily measure your EKG whenever with this

AliveCor

Anyone with a history of heart disease in their family or who is personally at risk for it, needs to stay perpetually vigilant about their current vascular condition. Obviously that includes diet and exercise. But there’s another important thing you can do. My cardiologist recommended to me two years ago to either carry an AliveCor KardiaMobile six-lead device that could instantly measure my EKG anytime or anywhere, or get a newer model Apple Watch that will do the trick. Surprisingly, he told me both offer better technology than was available in his own office. At the time, I immediately bought a single-lead KardiaMobile Card that I could tuck away in my wallet, as it’s the size and shape of a credit card. It’s been an amazing peace of mind, and is especially handy when I feel my heart racing. I’ve used it often, just to make sure I’m okay.

But I’ve also kept my eye on the KardiaMobil 6L Max that offers six leads for a more complete clinical view of your heart, personalized insights, and cardiologist support through an included one-year KardiaCare membership. The device costs $149, then after a year you need to pay for the $100 annual membership to keep the device activated.

With the tiny and lightweight 6L, you can record your EKG in one of two ways. The first is the single-lead manner in which you simultaneously put your right and left index and middle fingers on the top metal areas, while the app measures your EKG for 30 seconds. The second option is the more-complete six-lead way in which you put your thumbs in those spots while pressing the bottom against the area right around your left knee or left ankle for 30 seconds. Both ways show you a live, medical-grade measurement of your heart, but the six-lead process shows you all six measurements at once. It’s actually pretty compelling. You also see a clock counting down the 30 seconds, and then the measurement stops when it hits zero. The results – including normal sinus rhythm and six of the most common arrhythmias – are displayed immediately and you can see your history. You can also send them to a cardiologist through the app, as well.

KardiaMobile 6L Max is FDA-cleared, and via the membership, a board-certified cardiologist in your state can review your EKG, provide a summary report, identify more than 30 conditions, and recommend next steps within 24 hours. You can receive four EKG reviews per year with the membership, or you can have the app send your results to your own cardiologist. And because it’s a six-lead device, the company says it’s giving you six times more heart data than a single-lead EKG or any smartwatch – recording leads I, II, III, aVL, aVR, and aVF. It detects Normal Sinus Rhythm, Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs), Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy (SVE), and Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS. And you can tag EKGs with descriptions like “exercising” or “dizzy” to generate reports that identify specific triggers for your doctor. For $79, you can do a telehealth video call with a cardiologist through the app, too.

While the Card has worked flawlessly in my two years with it, the 6L Max so far has been a bit fussy – most likely because I’ve been using it on an Android device that does not have the latest software. But on an iPhone I tried it with, it’s consistently good. And when it’s working, the device is amazing and can genuinely be a life saver.