Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

ECG evaluation

November 30, 2019 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have the Cardiosecur app with the 4 electrode ECG that you stick on. Out of curiosity, I made a few measurements today and it promptly showed me circulatory disorders with the advice to make an appointment with my doctor for a check-up.

I was at the cardiologist 2 days ago with an ECG and ultrasound where nothing unusual was found, and a month ago I had a 7-week ECG and ultrasound without any pathological findings. I also have no symptoms except for the panic I felt when I measured multiple times.

I am in my late twenties with no medical history. The measurements are sometimes not even a minute apart and show a normal measurement followed by an abnormal one. The app has 3 classifications: 1. No changes from the controlled ECG (white), 2. slight change (yellow) (make an appointment with the doctor), and 3. severe change (red) (call an ambulance). It showed yellow twice and once marked a channel yellow (attached) and in the other 14 measurements everything was ok (white) (1 out of 14 attached).

I hope there is someone online who can help me evaluate the ECG. Should I make another appointment with the cardiologist now?

Kind regards,

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening,

This is the problem with such apps: They measure, like an EKG, electrical currents from which one can sometimes (!) infer circulatory disorders. However, what is forgotten is that even if the electrodes are not attached correctly, the curve of the electrical current changes, and there are also significant changes in the curve that do not have any pathological background.

Your curve shows slight depressions, especially in III, which can be seen as an indication of a circulatory disorder in the posterior wall of the heart. However, since the corresponding leads v5/v6 and avF do not show these depressions, the depression in III is irrelevant. Since you have also been adequately examined by a cardiologist, I see no reason for a repeat examination!

I do not like these apps because they only create uncertainty and unnecessary fears and are less reliable than an EKG performed by a general practitioner or cardiologist.

I wish you all the best!

Sincerely, Dr. Gehring