Turning your iPhone into a Real-time Biomedical ECG Monitoring System

One of the massive bandwagons of 2010 has been the Apple iPhone 4. Perhaps, I would rather call this invention as a easy-to-use mini computer than a phone. As the 3rd party developers have been allowed to create applications for the iPhone, the iTunes App Store has released hundreds of apps in the “medical” category. I came across a footage on iPhonECG System yesterday and was impressed by its charisma and boon to the biomedical fraternity.

The iPhonECG System

Implementing a portable, accurate and a real-time ECG monitoring system is a grueling task if you start from scratch. Although, many advancements have been made in this area using other mobile platforms. The iPhone has shown a tremendous success in the ability to record and analyse an electrocardiogram (ECG). Lets see how this works.

iPhonECG System consists of :
1. Apple iPhone 3G/3GS/iOS4
2. ECG Attachment for the iPhone
3. iPhonECG Application

Alivecor is Seattle based company which will be showing off its new iPhonECG system at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Las Vegas in January 2011. The company has partnered with Oregon Scientific to manufacture the units, which are expected to sell for under $100 a piece.(including the case and app)

Here is a video that explains the usage of the iPhonECG System by Dr. David Albert—a physician, scientist, inventor, and technology entrepreneur.

Steps & Working

#1 Connect ECG Attachment to the iPhone. The attachment is basically a sleek case with two ECG stainless steel electrodes on its back. Make sure it is connected snugly to the iPhone.
#2 Take a alcohol swab & clean the case and electrodes to eliminate the bacteria and germs.
#3 Activate the iPhonECG application.
#4 Mount the electrode case on your chest or hands to record your ECG. You can also keep it away from your body (1 foot).
#5 Scroll the iPhonECG list to review all the ECG waveforms stored in the application. Send it to your doctor or healthcare personnel

Advantages

#1 Real-time ECG Monitoring
#2 Immediate Diagnosis
#3 Measure heart-rate and ECG waveform
#4 Wireless detection storage of ECG
#5 Personal heart-rate bio-feedback device

#6 Data automatically uploaded on servers & stored in iPhonECG app
#7 Access iPhonECG lists analyzing many ECG records
#8 Review and measure (25m/sec and 1mV/mm) easily as well as print as a pdf.
#9 Easy to use and is a lightweight portable ECG device

What we’re offering is much higher sampling volume at no additional cost for the rest of their life. So every day, for literally 30 seconds, a person holds this in their hand or puts it on their chest, and somebody who knows, or the device itself, can tell if they have atrial fib. Plus, we can upload it immediately and a CCU nurse can say, ‘Mr. Jones is back in atrial fib’ or ‘he’s having heart block back again and his pacemaker’s not capturing, so that’s why he feels funny. It can do that at a cost anybody can afford. That’s disruptive.
- Dr. David Albert

FDA Approval & Availability

Medical devices in the United States need an FDA approval known as a 510(k). The iPhonECG is undergoing various clinical studies at AliveCor, in cardiac care units, to establish the same results that patients’ get on bedside ECG monitors. AliveCor is expected to file for the FDA approvals by March 2011, applying both as a product used by medical fraternity and as a product used by patients.

iPhonECG apps are expected to be available when AliveCor receives the clearances. If AliveCor gets to market and gets FDA approvals, it could change the cost of heart screening, with the retail price of the iPhonECG about the same as hospitals would reimburse for just five tests.

I am overwhelmed by the sudden attention to a YouTube video I expected only five friends would see (YouTube : 100,000+ views so far, and 5,000 views an hour). I’ve had people say to me, is this going to be 10% as good as a regular EKG machine? I say, no, it’s 100% as good. In fact, it’s better than many of the cardiac event recorders that are out there. I know — I’ve made them. This can be a global device, bringing cardiac event recording to remote places that never had it, at a price even they can afford.

- Dr. David Albert

The screen on the iPhonECG app has a calibrated grid with standard 200 msec thick lines and 40msec dotted lines. The amplitude is calibrated at 1mV per two major divisions or 1cm/mV. You could use a standard ECG ruler or simply count the minor grid boxes to do a simple PR segment measurement. You can use the classic “Dubin” maxim of 300,150,100,75… over the major boxes to determine the instantaneous heart rate. Finally, the stored ECG strips can be printed out as PDF documents.

- Dr. David Albert

The iPhonECG is a new medical gizmo, which attracted many bloggers on web and people at International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 , which is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas. You can watch Dr. David Albert’s interview at CES 2011 by Scrub.in [Click here]. Do leave your comments below..

Source:
Official Website : AliveCor
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
Engadget