AliveCor-Omron Partnership Leads to Combined ECG and Blood Pressure App

AliveCor, developer of FDA-cleared mobile electrocardiogram (ECG) technology for mobile devices, today announced that it will integrate data from Omron Healthcare Bluetooth-enabled home blood pressure devices into its ECG Kardia Mobile application. This new app marks the first consumer-ready, clinically validated ECG and blood pressure monitor to provide patients with a more complete view of their heart health, improve proactive monitoring and create a new standard of care for people at risk of stroke.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Hypertension among patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is associated with 50 percent increased risk of stroke.*
 
While it is critical for patients to closely monitor AF and blood pressure to manage the risk of stroke, until now, no single platform has integrated the two risk factors. AliveCor and Omron are enabling patients to take control of their heart health with clinically validated technology and to work with their physicians to determine an appropriate care plan that will help lower the risk of stroke.
 
“Giving patients the ability to monitor two vital heart health statistics for stroke in one place has the opportunity to be life-changing,” said Dr. David Albert, Founder and Chief Medical Officer at AliveCor. “With this combined data, patients can change their most important modifiable risk factor, blood pressure, and seek the right care that could improve heart health and prevent a stroke. Today we are one step closer to achieving our mission of making the ECG a vital statistic for not just cardiologists, but patients, physicians and caregivers.”
 
“The stakes for improving heart health are at an all-time high with heart disease and stroke on the rise. Working with Omron, we are, for the first time, able to improve the detection and care path for people at risk for stroke by closely monitoring both AF and blood pressure,” said Vic Gundotra, AliveCor CEO. “Offering this consumer-ready, clinically validated platform gives a more complete view of heart health and provides a powerful way for patients to play an integral role in their own health management.”
 
“Our partnership with AliveCor reinforces Omron Healthcare’s commitment to innovation that provides deeper insights, encourages behavioral change and promotes healthier lifestyle habits,” said Ranndy Kellogg, ‎president and chief executive officer of Omron Healthcare, Inc. “The combination of precise technology generating accurate readings, and the ability to track and share that data easily, results in better treatment plans and better outcomes.”
 
For AliveCor, this marks a big step forward in creating a new machine-learning driven system that makes it easier for physicians to determine better treatment and for patients to take a more active role in their care. AliveCor is learning more about how consumers capture heart health data as the number of ECGs recorded on the Kardia Mobile device reaches nearly 10 million. The integration with Omron’s connected blood pressure monitoring devices will further propel Kardia Mobile to becoming a leading indicator for heart conditions.
 
*Duke Medicine. (2014). High Blood Pressure Increases Risk of Stroke for Atrial Fibrillation Patients [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://corporate.dukemedicine.org/news_and_publications/news_office/news/high-blood-pressure-increases-risk-of-stroke-for-atrial-fibrillation-patients