5 applications to manage Afib

ahsan65@gmail.comJuly 16, 2025

0 0 6 minutes read

In addition to a physical examination, medical history, blood tests and electrocardiograms (ECG or EKG) to diagnose atrial fibrillation (AFIB), your doctor can make you wear a heart rate for a few days to a month to monitor your heart rate while you go in your daily life. And more and more, downloadable mobile applications – that work with smartphones and other portable devices – have improved the screening process and, potentially, longer -term management of AFIB.

You can use these applications to detect irregular cardiac rhythms or other signs of AFIB, then relay this information to your doctor, which can perform tests that can help diagnose common heart disease; Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce your risk of blood clots, stroke and other complications.

“Applications can help alert patients to changes in their heart rate that may indicate an imminent problem. For example, when the heart is irregularly beats, it can form blood clots, “explains Emerson Perin, MD, PHD, cardiologist and medical director of Texas Heart Institute in Houston. “In the case of atrial fibrillation, the earlier you detect a problem, the more successful the condition can be dealt with to prevent an event, such as a stroke.”

And for people who have been diagnosed with AFIB and who manage the condition, research shows that these applications can help them play a more active role in the management of AFIB, for example by establishing reminders to take drugs, follow the diet and exercise and monitor the effectiveness of their treatment plan.

Although there are possible drawbacks to use applications to follow AFIB (this can lead to obsessive surveillance of symptoms or increased anxiety in some people, for example), they can potentially help improve the detection and management of AFIB. Here are five that can help you and your doctor better manage your heart disease.

1. Qaly

Do you want to determine your heart rate quickly? This application can take an ECG / EKG in as little as 30 seconds using any portable intelligent device that can measure your heart rate. These include Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch, Fitbit, Withings Scanwatch and Kardiamobile. For example, the Apple Watch contains optical cardiac sensors that measure your heart rate using photoplethysmography (PPG), a non -invasive, simple and inexpensive optical measuring technology that uses a light source and a photodetector on the surface of the skin to measure the variations in blood circulation.

After reading, you can open the Readmyecg app on your smartphone and display your ECG / EKG analysis. Then click on “Submit for exam”. A team of qualified cardiographical technicians will then analyze your ECG / EKG at any time. Technicians react via the application messaging tool to inform you of any anomaly in your heart rate and if you have to visit a doctor.

“On Qaly, trained ECG technicians read each ECG you submit. If you want to know what your ECG can tell you, this is the starting point, ”explains Marco Perez, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and Readmyecg co -founder.

2. Kardia

Alvecor, Inc. combines the use of a cardiac surveillance apparatus with their mobile application, Kardia, to provide you with a convenient medical quality EKG 24/7. Instead of using PPG technology to monitor irregular cardiac rhythms, you buy a personal EKG surveillance device that you can attach to the back of your smartphone and take with you wherever you go. Then, when it is time to check your heart rate, simply place your fingers on the sensor pads to obtain a precise reading of your heart rate in a few seconds.

Kardia uses EKG instead of PPG, which places it in another device class, explains Charles Rouse, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “It is also produced by the FDA. I regularly recommend Kardia … to patients due to EKG functionality, “he said.

If you do not want to transport the portable surveillance system and have an Apple watch strip, you can synchronize Kardia with your smartwatch to monitor your heart rate instead because the Apple Watch contains the sensors required to deliver EKGS.

The application is available and free on the App Store and Google Play. However, you will have to pay subscription fees of $ 11.99 per month or $ 99 per year. The EKG surveillance system is available on Amazon for $ 79.

3. Qardio Heart Health

Qardio provides vital statistics concerning your heart health. The application automatically detects and records irregular heartbeat so that you can keep your health care provider up to date with your heart rhythms. Before you follow, you will have to buy the Qardio L for the ECG / EKG L for Bluetooth to follow your heart rhythms.

The portable device is a chest strap available for purchase on the Qardio website and is delivered with a one -year warranty and a 60 -day refund guarantee. In addition, Qardio works transparently with several popular intelligent devices to follow all your vital signs in one place. These include Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad. In addition, Qardio allows you to send your health statistics to your doctor, which is best suited to manage your AFIB.

In addition to monitoring irregular cardiac rhythms, Qardio also monitors blood pressure, body temperature, pulse speed, blood oxygen levels and body composition measurements, such as body mass index (BMI). (BMI, for example, can be an important factor to measure because obesity can considerably increase the risk of AFIB, both directly and indirectly, through related health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart failure.)

You can download the application for free from the App Store, but you will need a paying subscription to the Qardio + health monitoring system to access additional features, such as detailed health reports, drug monitoring and customer support. The cost for Qardio + is $ 9.99 per month or $ 99.99 per year.

4. FIBRICHECK

Fibricheck is a medically certified by FDA application that you can use to quickly and easily measure your heart rate. Everything you do is place your finger on the camera on your smartphone and let PPG do your job. Alternatively, you can use the optical sensors of your smartwatch. After 60 seconds, you will have a precise reading of the rhythm of your heart.

“A bright light is used to light the blood under the skin and a camera detects small changes that occur at each heartbeat. This is the same information as you get by checking your pulse with your finger on the wrist or neck,” explains Rouse. “After saving the heart rate for a period of time, an algorithm is used to determine whether the pace is regular or irregular. An irregular rhythm can be a sign of atrial fibrillation.”

The application is free on Google Play and the App Store, but you will have to register for a monthly subscription after a free three -day trial. In addition, Fibricheck can currently only be used in the United States with a prescription from an authorized healthcare practitioner.

5. AFIB manager

Afib Manager is currently only available for Apple users. This free tool works by integrating Apple’s Health application on an iPhone or Apple Watch to monitor your heart rate data. In addition, the application will send your data directly to your doctor. You can also choose the information sent, giving you total confidentiality control over your health statistics.

In the end, it is important to remember that these tools should only be used to support management and care methods prescribed by the doctor, and not to substitute medical advice.

“These applications should not be used for patients who think they have AFIB symptoms but who have not been officially diagnosed,” said Rouse. “Given the limits of the accuracy of the PPG method and the high consequences of a missed AFIB diagnosis, these patients should see their doctor for more sophisticated tests.”

Rouse adds that these applications are always a practical method to follow the AFIB episodes because they can give you a better understanding and control your heart disease. However, before using an application to manage your AFIB, talk to your doctor who can work with you to develop a monitoring strategy that best suits your needs.

The point to take away

Downloadable mobile applications are used more and more to help diagnose and manage AFIB.

Early diagnosis and symptom monitoring can be particularly essential in AFIB, as early detection and treatment can help prevent the risk of stroke and other related health problems in people with current heart disease.

Although applications can be useful for diagnosing and monitoring AFIB, they should only be used to provide your doctor with additional information – not something that can replace additional tests and evaluation by your doctor.