Portable ECG Monitors

I am a physician. I purchased the Emay Portable Handheld Monitor after reading the various postings by customers and it is a really cool device. It is small and can be transported easily in my purse. The software comes in a flash drive and a USB cable is provided to upload data to a Windows PC. The device gives good quality tracings, particularly with lead I (held between the left and right palm). The default recording is set to 10 seconds, which is too short to monitor for an arrhythmia. I changed the recording time through the software on a PC to 30 seconds (which is the maximum). It was able to detect skipped beats and indicate whether the heart rhythm was too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). A user with medical experience can view the onscreen tracing and interpret arrhythmias (irregularities in heart rhythm) on the fly. The device analyzes the data and labels abnormalities on the device itself. According to the user manual, it can identify various irregularities in heart rhythm including “missed beat, ST elevation, VPB bigeminy, bradycardia, ST depression, VPB couple, tachycardia, accidental VPB, VPB runs of 3, arrhythmia, VPB trigeminy, runs of 4.” The user manual FAQ response indicates that the device labels the tracing of atrial fibrillation (a common and dangerous rhythm) as arrhythmia. The user can download the data and print it out to share with their healthcare provider. For me, the most important use of this device is as a guide of when to head immediately to the emergency room—if VPB bigeminy, VPB couple, VPB runs of 3, arrhythmia, VPB trigeminy, runs of 4 are recorded.

So I had atrial ablation surgery about 4 months ago, and at first I thought my AFib was cured. Every now and again I would feel the palpitations I had in the past but it was impossible to catch this on a real EKG. Then I found this item on Amazon and decided it was worth the investment if I could get an actual trace to confirm my suspicion, and also be able to share it with my doctor. After charging it up and reading the instructions ( the instructions could really use a re-write to make them more clear and detailed) I decided to try it for the first time. In the middle of the first reading, my AFib kicked in, and I was actually able to capture the switch from normal to abnormal. The multiple reading methods are nice, the unit is easy to use, the PC software is passable, but needs a few enhancements. For instance, adding my info to each of my readings in bulk should be available. It’s not. When printing results to share with your doctor the date and time stamp is not printed. It really should be. The quality of traces in the printout could be a bit higher resolution as well, but are completely readable. With a few minor enhancements this could be a killer product. It sure beats the Loop monitor they wanted to implant in me to catch my AFib initially. Great tool for those who have intermittent issues or to monitor one’s self post surgery etc.