The skeptical cardiologist keeps his eyes open for new, potentially improved ways of personal mobile ECG monitoring and when I saw the following comments on an afib forum I was intrigued:
I recently started using a SonoHealth product that I find MUCH MUCH superior to Kardia..
Really? MUCH MUCH superior? The more someone utilizes all caps
to emphasize theirs points the less I tend to believe them. But, as I am on a mission to discover the truth in all things cardiologic I went to the SonoHealth website and encountered this:
The EKGraph would indeed appear to be MUCH MUCH superior to Kardia mobile ECG if the website marketing can be believed.
Like the Kardia the EKGraph offers a personal ECG monitor obtained using the fingertips and syncing to an app on your smartphone.
The EKGraph claims to have 3 lead capability, something it emphasizes in its marketing but it is only capable of displaying one lead at a time and , similar to Kardia one can obtain lead II and precordial ECG leads by putting one electrode on the leg or chest.
Also similar to Kardia, the EKGraph promises “rhythm detection.” As we shall learn, however, rhythm detection by the EKGraph cannot be trusted whereas Kardia has a wealth of published data supporting its accuracy.
Unlike the Kardia, the EKGraph does have a “bright LCD screen” which displays the ECG wave pattern and heart rate along with the heart rhythm diagnosis.
I emailed SonoHealth and they were kind enough to send me one of their ECG devices to demo. After spending some time with it I can say unequivocally that it should not be purchased or utilized by any patient who wants reliable personal mobile ECG monitoring with accurate diagnoses.
A few days later a package arrived containing the EKGraph in an Applesque box which also contiained a USB charging cable. In addition they included a carrying case and a tube of ECG gel.
Working With The SonoHealth APP
To make a recording one puts the metal strip on the left side of the device on hand, arm or leg and the other metal strip on the right side of the device on an opposing limb or the chest.
This very happy model gives you a feel for the size of the device and the method of making a Lead I recording.
It is possible to made a decent single lead ECG tracing with this device and view the tracing on the associated smartphone app. However, the recordings are typically very noisy and full of artifact making it hard to discern the rhythm. The software appears to lack appropriate filtering.
The SonoHealth app is free but getting it registered was a problem. On the company website support area several readers have complained of the same problem over the last few months:
I am having trouble registering on the phone because when I hit the red button to register, I see the email and username fields at the top of the form, but when I click on email, the info fields jump to name, and I can’t scroll up to access those two fields. I then get a notification that those two fields are required to register. Any suggestions?
There is no response to this issue posted 3 months ago from the company.
Syncing with the app via Blutooth is straightforward. Pressing the sync button transfers all new tracings to the app where they can be reviewed.
Tracings can be emailed or printed.
Rhythm Detection
The major problem with the EKGraph is that its ability to diagnose rhythm is very limited. This device has no published data verifying the accuracy of its rhythm diagnoses whereas the Apple Watch 4 and Kardia ECG devices do. It it is not approved by the FDA.
I used the device on my self and despite identical rhythms the EKGraph called one “tachycardia” and the other “bradycardia.”
I tried using the SonoHealth on patients in my office who were in normal sinus rhythm and received wild, seemingly random diagnoses.
Whatever algorithm the device is using to diagnose rhythm is clearly not making allowances for poor quality recordings.
This patient is in NSR but the EKGraph calls it “tachycardia, VPB bigeminy” mistaking the artifact between the normal QRS beats and ventricular ectopic beats.
Multiple Sketchy Companies Utilizing Similar Hardware
I have noted other mobile ECG device with a remarkably similar appearance to the EKGraph. A search on Amazon yields AliveCor’s devices and the SonoHealth Ekgraph . The Amazon comparison page shows 3 additional EKGraph identical-appearing devices seemingly from 3 different sketchy companies all priced at $79.
A consumer asked SonoHealth about the identical external appearance of SonoHealth’s and EMAY’s devices and the company’s response was::
As a small new company making a new design for the outside shell didn’t seem viable. A mold from scratch costs anywhere from $65,000-$85,000. So our manufacturer allowed us to use their current mold to make the EKGraph.
So even though the outside is similar the software side is totally different. We have new and improved software. There’s also our own SonoHealth app that we developed from scratch.
SonoHealth is a USA company that provides excellent customer support.
I would disagree with SonoHealth’s assessment-there is nothing to suggest their software is either new or improved or even accurate.
The app that they developed from scratch is clunky and difficult to use.
Ratings and Online Presence of SonoHealth
SonoHealth posts on its website alleged reviews of EKGraph. They are uniformly positive. It’s hard to find anything that isn’t 5/5 stars. Apparently, all the problems I found with the product are unique to me.
However, these reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. A few weeks after acquiring my SonoHealth EKGraph I received an email from the company offering a gift card if I followed their precise instructions in writing a review:
TERMS: In order to receive the $10 giftcard reward you MUST write both a Company and a Product review. We will send each reviewer the egiftcard to the email that they provided when leaving the review. (For verification purposes, the email you enter when leaving the review must match the email associated with your order.)
This manipulation of the review process is shady and calls into question the validity of any review on the company website or Amazon.
Let The (Mobile ECG) Buyer Beware
The SonoHealth EKGraph is capable of making a reasonable quality single lead ECG. Presumably all the other devices utilizing the same hardware will work as well.
However, the utility of these devices for consumers and patients lies in the ability of the software algorithms to provide accurate diagnoses of the cardiac rhythm.
Apple Watch 4 and AliveCor’s Kardia mobile ECG do a very good job of sorting out atrial fibrillation from normal rhythm but the SonoHealth EKGraph does a horrible job and should not be relied on for this purpose.
The companies making and selling the EKGraph and similar devices have not done the due diligence Apple and AliveCor have done in making sure their mobile ECG devices are accurate. As far as I can tell this is just an attempt to fool naive patients and consumers by a combination of marketing misinformation and manipulation.
I cannot recommend SonoHealth’s EKGraph or any of the other copycat mobile ECG devices. For a few dollars more consumers can have a proven, reliable mobile ECG device with a solid algorithm for rhythm diagnosis. The monthly subscription fee that AliveCor offers as an option allows permanent storage in the cloud along with the capability to connect via KardiaPro with a physician and is well worth the dollars spent.
Skeptically Yours,
-ACP
4 thoughts on “A Review Of SonoHealth’s EKGraph Portable ECG Monitor: Comparison To Apple Watch ECG And AliveCor’s Kardia ECG”
I somewhat agree with your analysis and your conclusion of “Let the buyer beware.” My assessment is that the SonohealthEKGraph device is a SCAM. Readings are pretty inconsistent but I have no way of determining accuracy. However, in contradiction to my own assessment, is the device sufficiently accurate to inspire one to contact their medical professional? I think yes. What really causes my skepticism of the device is the personnel behind it. I bought mine from Amazon.com. I tried it and found that it had a relatively steep learning curve due to its not performing as the instructions and marketing literature indicated. And calling the contact pads or electrodes “leads,” was a stretch, but acceptable if one applied a little “Kentucky windage.” I decided that I should not be too disappointed as “I got what I paid for.”
I reviewed the device on Amazon and gave it less than stellar ratings. In a couple of days I received an email from someone claiming to be SohoHealth’s “Happiness Engineer.” (That was an eye-opener!) She wanted to know why my ratings were not higher. I gave her a detailed, lengthy and wordy explanation. Due to her apparent lack of control of the English language, as evidenced by her grammar in her email, I surmise she is still reading it.
Later, I attempted to contact SonoHeath ussing their website “Contact us” routine. That put me in a “catch 22” situation. Support is absolutely nil.
I still use my device twice daily just for fun. I have severe aortic stenosis and gross leakage and minor malfunctioning of both heart valves. My blood flow is reduced by 80%. I also have kidney problems and asbestos in my lungs, (asbestosis, not mesothelioma.) I am 80 years old and display evidence of mild dementia. I was rejected for heart surgery by on of world’s leading Cardiac surgeons at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I was 6 months ago I was given 6 months to 2 years to live. Now I am ahead of the game. So why did I buy and why do I use the device? Am I expecting it to cure me of my ailments? No, I just wanted something to play with while I die. It gives me that. Money well spent.
I bought an Apple 4 Watch when it became available to measure my exercise. Two hours after first putting it on I thought it was broken when it said I might have “atrial fibrillation,” something I never heard of. When it continued to automatically detect afib, I thought it was defective and was on my way to return it.
I never made it to the Apple Store that day but the next morning I was lucky enough to have scheduled a physical. I told my doctor who laughed that a watch could detect afib. He was skeptical but decided to give me an EKG. The watch was right.
During the months I had permanent afib, its automatic detection and manual detection were probably 99% correct. I never had a normal sinus rhythm reading. I did get a couple of inconclusive readings a month.
I got a cardioversion and the first thing I did was check my Apple watch. Normal sinus rhythm. Wow!
I decided to buy a Kardia six-lead mobile EKG after reading the Skeptical Cardiologist’s discussion about the single-lead Kardia. What an amazing device! I cannot believe a watch or a thing the size of a gum package can tell me about my heart.
Now that I am in sinus rhythm I wear the Apple Watch 24×7. I use the Kardia mobile at least twice a day. Both continue to be accurate.
I suspect if my afib returns, I will know within an hour with either device.
Thanks to the Skeptical Cardiologist for his advice.
Glad to see you are keeping up on information about new portable EKG devices. So far I like my Kardia device.
ACP is analytical and should be carefully read. He makes sense to me. HRS, MD, FACC