KardiaMobile

Most health gadgets want to integrate themselves into every part of your daily routine. The KardiaMobile is more useful when something feels off. Small enough to live in a pocket or bag, it lets you record a single lead ECG using your phone in around 30 seconds, giving you something concrete to look at rather than trying to remember exactly what your heart was doing an hour later.

It is straightforward to use, simply open the Kardia app, place two fingers on the metal electrodes and stay still while it records. The app can then identify normal sinus rhythm, atrial fibrillation, bradycardia or tachycardia. You can save recordings and share them with a doctor, which is particularly useful if symptoms come and go and naturally disappear whenever you finally get an appointment.

The device itself is tiny and there are no wires, sticky pads or chest straps involved. It also uses a replaceable battery, so there is another gadget you do not have to remember to charge. The standard KardiaMobile uses your phone’s audio connection rather than Bluetooth and does not need Wi Fi to take a recording.

You do not need a subscription to use the core ECG features. The optional KardiaCare membership adds more detailed rhythm detections, trends, reports and clinician reviews, but the basic device remains useful without paying every year.

There are important limits. This is a single lead ECG rather than the fuller picture you would get from a hospital ECG, and AliveCor states that it does not check for heart attacks. It is also not recommended for people with pacemakers or ICDs.

What makes KardiaMobile useful is not bells and whistles, but timing. When an odd flutter or racing heartbeat appears out of nowhere, you can capture it there and then and keep a record to show your doctor later. RRP £99

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