AliveCor has announced at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in San Francisco that its iPhone based ECG heart monitor is now available by prescription. Essentially the same device has been given approval for veterinary use on dogs, cats, and horses, and finally now humans can place their front paws on the electrodes for immediate ECG readouts. These can be sent to a physician, printed out and stored for further reference.
The AliveCor costs a reasonable $199 and is compatible with 4 and 4S iPhones. The company is expecting to have an iPhone 5 compatible version of the device ready by the second quarter of this year, which requires a separate approval from the FDA.
The ability for doctors to prescribe this device to patients is a real breakthrough to help patients participate in their health and work with their physicians to truly collaborate on their care,” said Dr. Dave Albert, CMO and co-founder of AliveCor.
The AliveCor Heart Monitor snaps onto the back of an iPhone, like a case, to record, display, store, and transfer single-channel electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythms wirelessly with the corresponding, free AliveECG app. No pairing between the iPhone and Heart Monitor is required. Recorded rhythm strips can be of any duration, and are stored in the app and securely in the cloud in PDF format for reviewi, analysis, and printing through AliveCor’s HIPAA-compliant website. ECG data is accessible anytime, anywhere.
Flashbacks: Inventor Dr. Dave Albert Demonstrates AliveCor iPhone ECG; Interview with AliveCor Founder Dr. Dave Albert; AliveCor Takes Heart in Initial Findings of iPhone ECG Study; AliveCor Launches iPhone Veterinary Heart Monitor Ahead of Human Version
Product page: AliveCor Heart Monitor
Press release: AliveCor™ Mobile ECG Device for Heart Rhythm Monitoring Now Available by Prescription