I recently purchased an AlivCor and am wondering if there is anything to adjust to help it work better on cats and dogs. I have tried it out on my own dogs without shaving, and it is hard to get a good signal even with gel and alcohol.
I recently purchased an AlivCor and am wondering if there is anything to adjust to help it work better on cats and dogs. I have tried it out on my own dogs without shaving, and it is hard to get a good signal even with gel and alcohol.
Also wondering if there any adjustments that can be made to help get the P waves to show up better on small dogs and cats. On the human ap, the only options I can see are for the main filter (50 Hz, 60Hz, and automatic), paper size, and filter type (enhanced or original). The vet ap seems to have even fewer options.
So, for those of you with an AlivCor, does shaving make it better? Does the patient need to be in lateral recumbency? And how do you get good readings on cats?
Thank you!
Comments
As far as the P waves I am
As far as the P waves I am unsure how you would adjust that part, but the patient should be in right lateral recumbency. Also, make sure your app is updated to the most recent one. 🙂
I always shave when I use
I always shave when I use mine and lots of alcohol and sometimes gel if needed. I use the lightest pressure I can when I am holding it against the patient, that seems to help. I will do it in whichever position I find get the best read. Often in cats, that means I am taking a read while they are sternal just hangin out on the table. Small, energetic dogs, I will have someone hold them in their arms, I find they are likely to stay still longer that way.
Hi there! There is a
Hi there! There is a veterinary specific app, called AliveECG Vet (its free and lets you put in lots of patient demographics) and it allows for changes between the main filter (5 mm/mV, 10mm/mV, and 20mm/mV) as well as the speed of (12.5 mm/s, 25 mm/s, and 50 mm/s). Recently, Dr. Maggie Machen has commented that she would love the tracing to have be run at both the 25 and 50mm/s speeds. Sometimes, older phones or ones without a current software update have a hard time connecting with this app, and then I have to switch over to the Kardia app (but as you noted, it doesn’t let you adjust much, and really only works great in larger patients)
As far as artifact, the hair is sometimes a factor, so I make sure its shaved (usually is as we are doing an echo as well) and then alcohol and gel. The biggest factor I have found is the axis in which I am placing it, so making sure you really are in line with heart axis makes a big deal, and not to press too hard. As far as very panting/shaking patients, sometimes, you just don’t get a good tracing. There are some youtube videos as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ywb6KYTAAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqWfxGf1fkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPKr73FB-fQ
They are old, but may be helpful!
Thanks everyone! Thanks,
Thanks everyone! Thanks, Amanda. I did not notice the speed and filter adjustments at the bottom of the screen, separate from the settings icon in the veterinary ap. I have obtained some excellent tracings from normal size dogs. Had a hard time connecting on a small dog with excessive chest wall (respiratory) movement). I think it was a combination of the chest wall movements and the small size and conformation of the dog (not enough room lengthwise for the device to lie flat on the chest). It would connect but not for the required 30 second minimum.
Do you attach the device directly to your phone or phone case? I really don’t want to give up my popsocket. I have found, though, it helps to have the phone sitting on the device.
I do not attach mine to my
I do not attach mine to my phone, as I too don’t wanna give up my pop socket! HA! I just use it off of my phone… I am sure I could come up with something different to hold it (an old phone etc) but for now I use it off of my phone 🙂
Yeah that respiratory interference is no joke, and I let them know that there is alot of artifact and cross my fingers! Sometimes, something can be read off it, and sometimes not