Thinking about EKGs at home

[mattwisconsin]

I was thinking recently about home monitoring and whether there was a product that was cheap or if not suggest that it could be made. I know about EKG machines and Holter monitors, however I was thinking that there must be a way to write a program for home computers that could do the same thing. Then have a usb attachment which had leads on it. This way if people who have a history of arrhythmias would have a way to test at home and give that info to their doctors. A way to know if they needed to go in.

I was just thinking about this, what do others think? Is this a possibility? Does something like this already exist? How difficult would it be?

 

[john79t]

Sounds like a good idea. However, I would be no help because I am a tech. retard.

 

[Nancy]

Well, there is an event monitor that your doctor can give you and you wear it for a month. When you feel something going on, you press a button and it records what is happening, and then you use the telephone to transmit the data to whomever is designated to receive it.

I believe it has a very small memory chip, so it accounts for the time it is happening and the little lag time when you finally press the button.

The problem with what you are thinking about is that you would have to be right next to the computer to upload the information or have some sort of recording monitor with memory which you would wear all the time and it would be a nuisance.

But who knows, in the future, there may be something tiny that would work like a little adhesive patch.

Technology is advancing very fast.

 

[Cris N]

food for thought: http://www.devonmedicalinc.com/PC80A-cardiac-event-monitor.aspx

http://128.121.159.149/shop/product.asp?cid=30&scid=123&pid=812

http://mamaheaven.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5

 

[Ross]

I was thinking recently about home monitoring and whether there was a product that was cheap or if not suggest that it could be made. I know about EKG machines and Holter monitors, however I was thinking that there must be a way to write a program for home computers that could do the same thing. Then have a usb attachment which had leads on it. This way if people who have a history of arrhythmias would have a way to test at home and give that info to their doctors. A way to know if they needed to go in.

I was just thinking about this, what do others think? Is this a possibility? Does something like this already exist? How difficult would it be?

Ya know, you need to line yourself up with a medical instruments pro, a great software writer, and a computer hardware specialist, then patent this idea and put it into production. Thing is, would the average user have any clue what they were looking at?

 

[geebee]

My internist uses something similar that puts the readout right into their computer. I did not see what was used as a connection but it was basically the typical bunch of leads that ended in some type of "plug-in". I do not know if it was connected directly to the computer or plugged into a wall network connection but there was no EKG machine per se.

 

[mattwisconsin]

That is interesting. I would love to know if the leads went to a separate box or directly into the computer. I guess I am interested because it would be nice to be able to check yourself at home without having to carry an event monitor. I think most people would not know but could learn. All part of being an empowered patient.

 

[mattwisconsin]

The PC80A Handheld Cardiac Event EKG Monitor seems to be exactly what I was thinking of. I have a BP monitor that recognizes irregular heartbeats. However, if you move too much while it is taking its reading it comes back as irregular. I was thinking it would be nice to see each of the four types of heart beats to see if it really is irregular and how.

 

[geebee]

That is interesting. I would love to know if the leads went to a separate box or directly into the computer. I guess I am interested because it would be nice to be able to check yourself at home without having to carry an event monitor. I think most people would not know but could learn. All part of being an empowered patient.

I will see what I can find out because I am more curious also.

 

[Nupur]

How about something like this?

http://www.medicaldevicedepot.com/Portable-ECG-p/hcg-801.htm