With many smartwatches and devices now available on the market, it has never been so easy to manage your cardiac health.
The Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, and Fitbit Sense all offer FDA-cleared electrocardiograms that can quickly be recorded from anywhere and at any time. Recording a clinically relevant is now as easy as wearing an EKG-smartwatch.
The Alivecor KardiaMobile Single-Lead or Six-Lead always provides a convenient way to get an accurate electrocardiogram.
Even if these devices rely on artificial intelligence to automatically interpret the results and detect potential arrhythmia, a human touch interpretation is lacking.
Alivecor offers such services with its KardiaCare membership, $9.99 per month or $99 per year. The subscription will unlock additional AI-based determination (Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions, Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy, Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS) and one cardiologist interpretation every three months.
Vericardia is a new company that may have found the missing link between automated determinations and a visit to the cardiologist.
We put them to the test. Find our honest review of what Vericardia offers and if it is worth it?
What does Vericardia offer?
The company surfs on the wave of electrocardiogram at home. Most of the devices are great at detecting arrhythmia, such as Atrial Fibrillation. The issue is that most of these analyses are automatized, and that heart health is not limited to the analysis of the rhythm.
Vericardia does not deal with the hardware part. You will need a smartwatch or portable device to record the heart signal to benefit from their services.
In just a few minutes, you will get an opinion from an actual flesh-and-bone board-certified cardiologist of the ECG recorded on the KardiaMobile or ECG-compatible smartwatch.
A summary and the detailed report are included and divided into several parts:
- Info about the doctor who interpreted the results (they all have strong credentials).
- The findings detailed on a personalized report and a Summary of them.
- Crash course on the heart electrical components and various ways to recom.
It is important to remember that all the determinations provided by VeriCardia relate to a single ECG. Therefore, for users of the AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L, there is no need to upload the heart’s electrical activity collected with six leads, and a single lead device will be enough.
How does Vericardia work?
The Vericardia app is available for Android and iOS. It offers a very sleek and intuitive design. App Chance, the Polish company, which developed this convenient app, did an excellent job at making it easy to use.
The process is simple and takes less than a couple of minutes to access a board-certified cardiologists’ diagnostics.
- Register your personal information. The company website states that the data handling is HIPAA compliant so you can enter them in complete confidence that your private information will be safe.
- Record the electrocardiogram and heart rhythm using the portable electrocardiogram device or smartwach of your choice. In our case, we use the AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L.
- Upload the ECG using either Health App or share the pdf file directly from the ECG device app.
- Proceed to the online Payment.
- Wait a couple of minutes (in our case, it was a couple of hours but it was at night so no hard feelings) to receive the report from an actual cardiologist that will analyze the recording, symptoms, and provide advice. It is even possible to book a telemedicine appointment directly from the app.
Insurances do not cover the ECG analysis, but the telemedicine consultation depends on your insurance plan and coverage.
What did we learn?
I did not learn a lot, but we may not be typical. I choose to test Vericardia for a good reason. My ECG is not typical for a reason. Ten years ago, I suffered a heart attack that left me with part of my left ventricle being dyskinetic. My heart rhythm is excellent, I have absolutely no symptoms, but my ECG is far from the golden standard. It was an excellent way to put Vericardia to the test. And they succeeded….partially.
Do not expect a lengthy diagnosis, recommendations, and treatment, but the cardiologist who analyzed my results noticed the issue. Here is what he wrote: “This limited lead EKG is abnormal. I also noted you have intraventricular conduction delay and some ST depressions.”
I was recommended to get a clinical 12 lead EKG and see my cardiologist…Which I do every quarter!
Overall the Dx was short but informative. For people with more severe or evolutive conditions, this medical app based on the analysis of expert cardiologists is an excellent way to be reassured or oriented, get a quick diagnosis, and act accordingly.
Maybe more than in any other specialties, Cardiology is very sensitive to time. Therefore, the possibility of getting a quick and professional diagnosis from a cardiologist is critical.
Note that Vericardia does not offer the possibility to get a prescription. Instead, you will need to follow up with a Telemedicine consultation, $100, that can be booked directly from the app.
What about the price?
For $19.99, you will get one ECG review from one board-certified cardiologist and the possibility for $75 to buy five analyses (valid for six months.)
KardiaCare cardiologist interpretation costs $29.97 (or $24.99 for the yearly plan). The price of Vericardia is then more attractive. Still, KardiaCare also expands the abilities of the Alivecor EKG devices to detect more arrhythmia automatically, check on your medications and store your electrocardiograms.
Final thoughts: Is Vericardia worth it?
EKG Analysis by Vericardia
Price when reviewed: $19.99
Overall, Vericardia delivers on its promises. Using an iOs or Android app to upload an EKG and get it analyzed quickly whenever you want it part of the future of medicine.
For patients traveling or when not feeling well, getting reliable answers quickly by combining an FDA-cleared device and the diagnostics of experienced cardiologists carry a lot of value.
Comparing KardiaMobile may be difficult as the two services do not target the same type of patients. In our opinion, KardiaCare is more for chronic patients, while Vericardia is more suitable for a quick interpretation when not being in the position to contact your primary cardiologist.
