Kardia Band Monitors Heart Rate For Apple Watch Users

A medical grade ECG or electrocardiogram is the newest accessory for the Apple Watch for people who want to monitor their health. The Kardia Band of AliveCor is a strap for the wearable tech of Apple with an integrated medical-grade ECG.

The accessory also features a sensor to record the heart rate of the user. In contrast, an LED is normally used by many wearable devices to monitor the heart rate of users. The capillaries of users are illuminated by the LED light of these devices before measuring the rate of blood flow. While it can give a decent indication of a heart at rest, it does not function as when with an elevated heart rate.

On the other hand, the Kardia Band monitors the heart rate of Apple Watch users as well as communicates with the Kardia app directly. The data goes though an analysis algorithm that detects the presence of any atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat. This condition is commonly associated with a stroke.

Kardia Band Monitors Heart Rate For Apple Watch Users - image credit: flickr.com

The app also provides alerts to users when they have a normal heart rate. It also allows users to take voice notes for every reading. The voice note is meant to provide caregivers and doctors an idea if the elevated heart rate is mainly due to the morning coffee of the user or something that may be distressing. A healthcare provider is already being managed by AliveKor for its ECG product. It provides doctors access to the readings of users. The same system will be used for the Kardia.

The Kardia Band can work with the Apple Health app for users who are not too concerned about their health to provide accurate heart rate readings together with calorific intake and step count. AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra said the accessory introduces Wearable Med Tech into the market as well as demonstrates the future of a proactive heart health.

For the moment, the price of the Band has yet to be determined. However, it appears the company is highlighting the Kardia Band for the Apple Watch since the current AliveCor Mobile ECG will be changed by the company to Kardia Mobile.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday March 17 2016, 10:38 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0