AliveCor platform lets docs monitor heart patients to prevent stroke, atrial fibrillation

AliveCor has introduced Kardia Pro, a cloud-based software platform that allows physicians to monitor patients who use the corresponding mobile electrocardiogram (ECG), Kardia Mobile.

The Mountain View, California-based company announced the release of the platform March 16 with plans to introduce it to industry leaders at this year’s American College of Cardiology’s Scientific Sessions, which begins March 17 in Washington, D.C.

Kardia Mobile, which provides early detection of atrial fibrillation, was first released in 2011. It allows patients to monitor their weight, blood pressure and activity patterns. Many patients give the personal cardiovascular data to their cardiologists, but some physicians were asking for more.

To improve efficiency, AliveCor conceptualized Kardia Pro, which will receive and organize data from a patient’s Kardia Mobile device so that physicians can continually monitor it, said David Albert, MD, a founder of the company and its chief medical officer, in an interview with Cardiovascular Business.

“After five years, we had a tremendous amount of feedback from physicians saying, ‘Your device is fantastic for patients, but it can overwhelm us when patients send us literally scores of ECGs and we have no way to keep track of them,’” Albert said.

AliveCor has also recently received $30 million in funding from Japan-based Omron Healthcare, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and other investors. Albert said the capital will help AliveCor market and expand its Kardia products.

Kardia Pro, which is supported by artificial intelligence, can be accessed by physicians through a web browser or an IOS app. Because of AliveCor’s partnership with Omron, Kardia Pro will also integrate information from Omron’s blood pressure devices. Apple Health data can also be uploaded to the platform.

AliveCor has been testing Kardia Pro with practicing physicians in the field, and the response has been positive, Albert said.

“This is a platform that doctors and their staff like and it’s designed from the ground up, not only from modern technology, including cloud-based, deep learning and AI support, it’s designed to help them manage patients on a long-term, ongoing basis,” Albert said.

Using the software, cardiologists can communicate with patients about weight goals and offer other suggestions to help minimize their atrial fibrillation risk factors.

The Kardia Mobile has been useful to John and Shirley Aleck, who have both suffered from cardiovascular issues, they said in an interview with Cardiovascular Business.

Shirley Aleck, 79, purchased a Kardia Mobile device in June 2016 after her doctor recommend she get one to monitor her chronic atrial fibrillation.

“Mine is with me at all times,” she said.

Her husband, John Aleck, 70, shares it with her and checks his heart health regularly. When on a vacation in Palm Springs in November 2016, he began experiencing what felt like severe heart burn. He checked his ECG using the device and realized he was suffering from a heart attack.

“I took three readings in about five minutes and I knew I was in trouble,” John Aleck said.

At that point he called for medical attention, had a stent placed in him and recovered. John and Shirley are still sharing the device, though John said he’s getting his own soon, but both said they are excited about the launch of Kardia Pro. They hope their cardiologists opt to use the platform, adding that it could be helpful instead of taking their cardiologists months of data whenever they have an appointment.

“If the cardiologist that you are working with buys into it, it has the potential to be an invaluable tool,” John Aleck said. “It can save time. It can save lives.”