Six-lead personal heart monitoring device launched in the UK – Med-Tech Innovation | Latest news for the medical device industry

AliveCor has launched of KardiaMobile 6L in the UK, an FDA-cleared and CE-marked, six-lead personal heart monitoring device.

This smartphone-based technology provides a multi-dimensional view of the heart in 30 seconds, including visibility into arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF) that are leading indicators of cardiovascular disease.

Matthew Read, consultant in emergency medicine, The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian said: “By providing physicians with six different views of the electrical activity of the heart, KardiaMobile 6L offers a much greater chance of detecting a broad range of arrhythmias and other heart conditions than a single lead device. If everyone with unexplained heart rhythm symptoms used a pocket-sized heart monitor, it would cut costs, speed diagnosis and avoid preventable hospital admissions.”

Around one in ten of people presenting at hospital in the UK with heart symptoms have an arrhythmia. AF, the most common arrhythmia, is a leading cause of AF-related stroke. Early diagnosis is essential, as AF-related strokes can lead to life-changing and often devastating long-term harm to both the individual and their families. Someone suffers an AF-related stroke every 15 seconds in the UK. Strokes are estimated to cost the NHS around £3 billion per year, with further costs to the economy totaling £4 billion in lost productivity, disability and informal care.

Trudie Lobban MBE, founder and trustee of the Atrial Fibrillation Association and Arrhythmia Alliance said: “By 2060 it is projected that in Europe nearly 18 million adults over the age of 55 will have AF, making them three to five times more likely to suffer a devastating, debilitating and often fatal AF-related stroke than people without AF. Heart rhythm monitoring, coupled with a national screening programme, have the potential to prevent the overwhelming consequences of AF-related stroke and save lives.” 

The KardiaMobile 6L is a further development of AliveCor’s existing KardiaMobile device. In addition to the two electrodes on the top of the device, there is one electrode on the bottom. The user starts a 30 second ECG recording on their smartphone, via the Kardia app, by placing their thumbs on each of the two top electrodes and placing the bottom electrode on their left knee or ankle – enabling the heart to be viewed from six perspectives.

Once a recording has been taken, the artificial intelligence system performs an automatic analysis and informs the patient whether AF, bradycardia (slow heart rhythm), tachycardia (fast heart rhythm) or a normal rhythm is detected. The data collected can then be sent directly to a clinician for further analysis and consultation. Data from a six-lead ECG recording enables clinicians to identify problems that might be undetectable with a single-lead device. 

Stefan Holzer, VP International, AliveCor, said: “KardiaMobile 6L is another major milestone in AliveCor’s mission of developing easy-to-use and affordable smartphone-based medical devices. This innovative device takes heart health management to a new level. The new six-lead technology will significantly broaden the application of personal ECG by providing health care professionals with superior information, potentially allowing for better diagnosis. In combination with our KardiaPro remote monitoring solution, personal ECG monitoring is efficient and cost-effective.”