Cardiology Team has finger on the pulse with new monitoring tech | News
Cardiology Team has finger on the pulse with new monitoring tech
Royal Surrey’s Cardiology Team has launched the use of a portable heart-monitoring device that patients can use at home to screen for conditions such as arrhythmias, where the heart beats irregularly or abnormally fast.
The Alivecor KardiaMobile device gives a simple, accurate way of recording an electrocardiogram (ECG) whenever a patient feels their heart fluttering, skipping a beat or causing palpitations.
When symptoms occur, the patient places two fingers from each hand on the device’s sensor pads. This captures a recording of their heart activity and is sent to the Cardiology team via a smart phone app.
This enables early detection of conditions such as Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT), potentially speed up their diagnosis, and reduce pressure on the trust by allowing patients to be monitored accurately while at home.
Patients issued with the KardiaMobile device are asked to download the app to their phone and create a profile. They keep the device for a period of two weeks and use it to record symptoms whenever they occur. Data is sent directly to the Cardiology Clinic to be reviewed and findings are sent to the patient’s cardiologist.
Nicola Montalbano, Senior Chief Cardiac Physiologist and Head of Cardiac Physiology, said: “Previously, patients monitored for arrhythmias would have been asked to wear sensors attached to their chests, or have recorders implanted under the skin to track their heart’s electrical activity. So we are really pleased to have the new devices, which are not intrusive for the patients at all but still transmit data quickly and accurately.
“The use of this device also frees up clinic time and gives reassurance for patients when they’re worried about heart irregularities.”
Nicola and Khelvin Jockson, Cardiology Advanced Nurse Practitioner, who also worked on the launch of the KardiaMobile, thanked Royal Surrey Charity for their help: “We’re really grateful to our Royal Surrey Charity and to patients and their relatives who have contributed to the Cardiology Charitable Fund and made it possible for us to acquire 23 of the new devices. There are only a few NHS trusts in the country currently using this device with patients, so we’ve definitely got our fingers on the pulse!”