Home ekg?

[jp1]

Just saw a commercial on tv for a home ekg device that attaches to one’s phone. I’d not heard that such a thing existed until I saw that so I assume that no one here has one. And I also have no idea how useful such a thing actually is. But I assume this type of thing is the future. Years ago it felt like a great thing that I could get a home blood pressure monitor. Or that my mom, a diabetic, could buy a home blood sugar monitor. And with covid I bought a pulse oximeter. Buying a home ekg device or cholesterol monitor just seems like the next step for people to be able to both keep an eye on their vitals and also be able to have meaningful telemedicine appointments.

The ad for the ekg device priced it under $100. That seems remarkably cheap if it works.

[catherine]

I have become a health technology geek. Years ago, I saw Eric Topol (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Topol) give a talk at a health insurance conference and he gave himself an EKG from his phone and he said that this will be the wave of the future, and it really has.

Yes, there are a lot of devices now that can provide you with a ton of data about your health, but it's a bit of a buyer beware situation because I'm still not totally convinced of their accuracy. I think you have to accept that they are what they are--a cheap consumer device meant to give you good enough stats to give you an idea of how you're doing.

I have worn a Fitbit for two years now, and regularly track heart rate and sleep on that. Then I got curious/concerned about heart rate variability (HRV) which is said to be correlated with general health. Low HRV is correlated with overall poor health and an indicator of inflammation, stress, and cardiac events. So I found a clinical trial that enrolled me and sold me an Apple Watch for $47 that does ECG and identifies atrial fibrillation and and tracks sinus rhythm. It also provides data on HRV, heart rate, oxygen sat, VO2, etc etc.

So because I didn't want to stop the tracking of all the data captured in my Fitbit device, I now wear two watches--the Fitbit on my left arm and the Apple Watch on my right.

But wait! There's more!

Because my HRV was showing low numbers consistently, I decided to go one step further and got a more sophisticated HRV sensor, EliteHRV, which analyzes your HRV along with other metrics and comes up with a "recovery score" to show your physical resilience for that particular day. It also has a biofeedback program that enables you to improve HRV, heart rate etc through specialized biofeedback techniques.

I also have an app for sleep analysis that's compatible to my Apple Watch.

So, I can't testify to more sophisticated devices. You have to read reviews and see what best fits your and/or your mom's needs. But it's exciting to see these technologies put in the hands of the consumer.

[JaneV2.0]

Good God. That's my idea of absolute hell.

[Tybee]

Catherine, I think that's really cool. I had forgotten you had enrolled in that trial.

[catherine]

Good God. That's my idea of absolute hell.

haha.. My kids think I'm crazy and DH said he's going to get me another watch that I can put on my ankle.

[JaneV2.0]

haha.. My kids think I'm crazy and DH said he's going to get me another watch that I can put on my ankle.

in the spirit of total transparency, I've tracked my food input for months to observe macro- and micro-nutrient values--not sure to what end.

If you get entertainment from tracking every cough and twitch, that's all right by me, but I figure the stress I'd put myself through in such a scenario would in itself take a few months off my life. Maybe if living forever were a possibility, I'd consider it. >8)

[catherine]

Catherine, I think that's really cool. I had forgotten you had enrolled in that trial.

If you're interested, Tybee, I know you're not 65 yet, but maybe when you get to turn that corner they'll still be enrolling people!

[JaneV2.0]

Ha! This just came across my newsfeed:

"Just wear it on your wrist or ankle and use the Apollo app to choose how you’d like to feel, from waking up to deep focus to relaxation and sleep. Apollo is safe, effective, and easy to use for adults and children alike. If you’re looking for a calmer, healthier 2021, Apollo is here for you."

There you go, Catherine! :~)