AliveCor has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its automated analysis process (algorithm) to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), a form of cardiac arrhythmia.
Through real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings taken on the mobile phone based AliveCor Heart Monitor, the algorithm immediately detects if patients are experiencing AFib.
This allows physicians to prevent potentially life-threatening conditions such as strokes in patients.
Patients have the flexibility to confirm their results with a US board-certified cardiologist or a personal physician through AliveCor’s ECG analysis service.
AliveCor president and CEO Euan Thomson said the ability to automatically detect serious heart arrhythmia using mobile technology has the potential to save lives, reduce healthcare costs and allow patients and their caregivers to make informed decisions about cardiac care.
"Having achieved clearance, we will work to incorporate the algorithm in our app and plan to make this available to customers during September," Thomson added.
AliveCor noted that AFib detector represents a major step in the advancement of mobile phone based health, allowing patients to instantly know if AFib is present in their ECG.
The AliveCor Heart Monitor has been developed to record, store and transfer electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythms.
In addition, it displays ECG rhythms and detects the presence of atrial fibrillation, which is intended for use by healthcare professionals, patients with known or suspected heart conditions and health conscious individuals.
Image: AliveCor Heart Monitor. Photo: courtesy of PRNewsFoto/AliveCor, Inc.