Doctor David Albert, chief medical officer and co-founder of AliveCor, a man who first imagined the way how to measure heart health by using smartphone technology. After conducting a series of clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of patent number 8,301,232 for last November.
The patent describes an electrocardiogram (ECG), a device attached around smartphone (when the experiment using an iPhone 4 or 4S), with a shape like a protective cover. ECG tool has electronic sensors capable of measuring the electrical activity of the heart.
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| 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. (Picture from: http://www.medgadget.com/) |
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| Patent image of watch heart monitor from your phone. (Picture from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/) |
As quoted from Scientific American, any doctor can check the condition of your heart away using a secure wireless connection. The reading of this data is not as complete as the 12-lead ECG, however, the smartphone version is claimed to be able to provide an accurate proxy in tests. "ECG is a valuable way and will be understood, it allows us to assess the heart and diagnose the problem," said Albert.
The AliveCor costs a reasonable U.S. $199 (or approx Rp. 1.99 million) 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. But this device is not the only one in the world, there are many others that are similar with such as the EPI Mini ECG Monitor and Cardiac Designs ECG Check, etc. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN | RIF | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 01082013]
The AliveCor costs a reasonable U.S. $199 (or approx Rp. 1.99 million) 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. But this device is not the only one in the world, there are many others that are similar with such as the EPI Mini ECG Monitor and Cardiac Designs ECG Check, etc. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN | RIF | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 01082013]
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