Q&A: Upgrading ECG devices to detect more heart conditions

Med-Tech Innovation News spoke to Dr David Albert, founder and chief medical officer of AliveCor, which recently announced an update to its ECG devices to identify three additional heart conditions. 

Tell us about the upgrade to AliveCor’s ECG devices. What’s different?

We have upgraded the software of our personal ECG device – to identify three additional heart conditions – Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy (SVE), Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) and Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS. 

Our software-enabled devices provide more detail than other available ECG devices that are limited to atrial fibrillation detection alone. The new determinations are the result of an update to AliveCor's KardiaAI software that was cleared by the FDA in November. By better characterising an individual's heart rhythm, healthcare professionals can gain an improved understanding of the symptoms patients are demonstrating and how they fit into their overall cardiac health.

With this upgrade, AliveCor is continuing to make significant changes in AI-based remote cardiac care. We are providing the most clinically validated and innovative remote cardiac care in the world, as we solely focus on the heart. Over 100 peer-reviewed studies, 100 million ECG recordings, and more than one million users around the world have proved this. Now we can detect more heart conditions than any other personal ECG with our Advanced Determinations.

It detects sinus rhythm with supraventricular ectopy (SVE), sinus rhythm with premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and sinus rhythm with wide QRS – is the original technology responsible for this or were further developments required?

The new software update is an expansion of KardiaMobile’s existing offer. KardiaMobile devices provide a multi-dimensional view of the heart in 30-seconds, including visibility into certain arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), that are leading indicators of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The devices already detect AF, Bradycardia, and Tachycardia, so with this software update, they can now detect a total of six heart conditions. The device’s new determinations will include a refined algorithm for detection of AF, improving sensitivity and specificity, and reducing the number of unclassified readings, false negatives, and false positives.

What else do you think can be done with these ECG devices?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to limit access to important healthcare services, personal heart monitoring devices can play an important role in empowering patients to maintain their heart health. Recent data shows that the UK saw a 43% reduction in the rate of diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions during the first three months of the pandemic and up to 52% reduction in first prescriptions of cardiovascular medications over the same time period. With personal ECG devices such as KardiaMobile, patients can monitor their heart rhythm anytime and anywhere, find out in 30 seconds whether they have a normal heart rhythm, and share the information with their physicians. Also, with remote or at-home care settings becoming more common, personal ECG devices may not only provide peace of mind for the patient, but also allow doctors to assess and tailor treatment plans remotely. 

What will this mean for the treatment of heart conditions going forward? 

The uptake of digital innovation, technology and wearables is enabling better data sharing and healthcare management at home. We can now log physical activity, blood pressure, arrythmias and more. When this data is incorporated into one system, patients are able to monitor and record their heart rhythm and share this information with their doctor, empowering them to better understand their cardiac health, and allowing physicians to more easily develop care plans, which hopefully lead to better outcomes.

Anything else you’d like to add? 

The AI-based remote cardiac care industry is creating an environment that supports both patients and physicians. The pandemic has increased the demand for innovations such as Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Chronic Care Management (CCM). As wearable devices continue to evolve and patients are being encouraged by their physicians to adopt them, patients can take control of their conditions, and physicians can utilise the data generated to help with diagnosis and treatment, leading to better clinical outcomes and patient experience.