Smartphone ECG maker AliveCor is partnering with Omron Healthcare to integrate blood pressure data into its mobile app, creating the first tool of its kind to help patients “paint a more complete picture of heart health.”
Patients with atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure have a 50% higher risk of stroke, AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra told FierceMedicalDevices. So, they often monitor both. The partnership will allow patients to integrate data from their Bluetooth-enabled Omron blood pressure monitors into the Kardia Mobile app and view their ECG and blood pressure data on one platform.
AliveCor’s Kardia Mobile is an electrocardiogram device that attaches to the back of a tablet or smartphone. It also comes as a wristband for the Apple Watch. A patient opens the mobile app and rests his or her fingers on the device’s electrodes. He or she may also verbally record any symptoms, such as palpitations. The app then analyzes the ECG, telling the patient if the results are normal, or if afib is detected. Patients may then send the ECG to their physician, or, if they have previously opted in, all data will be transmitted to their doctor automatically, Gundotra said.
“Our partnership with AliveCor reinforces Omron Healthcare’s commitment to innovation that provides deeper insights, encourages behavioral change and promotes healthier lifestyle habits,” said Omron CEORanndy Kellogg, in a statement. “The combination of precise technology generating accurate readings, and the ability to track and share that data easily, results in better treatment plans and better outcomes.”
“The reality is, people typically get measures of physiology very, very infrequently,” Gundotra said. “Even people who are at risk get an EKG once or twice a year.” The mobile-device-and-app combo facilitates a more continuous monitoring of heart health, and gives patients and physicians the potential to spot symptoms early. Kardia Mobile users record ECGs a median of 20 times per month, Gundotra said.
In addition to facilitating proactive heart care, the Kardia platform allows the collection of “vast” amounts of data. To date, AliveCor has collected “just shy of 10 million” ECGs, Gundotra said. The addition of blood pressure data will help AliveCor learn more about how patients collect heart health data and propel it toward creating a machine-learning system to help patients and physicians improve their treatment.