General questions

• How often should you get an ECG?

  Cardiovascular diseases are typically developed as a result of ongoing, often symptomless progressive disease. For this reason, it is important to have ECG taken on a regular basis as a prophylactic measure against cardiovascular disorders and their timely detection.

  • Healthy individuals are recommended to get a monthly ECG self-check and should contact a doctor in case of some negative changes have been detected.
  • People in the high risk group for ischemic health disease including individuals with a high blood pressure, high levels of blood cholesterol, smokers, and consumers of alcohol should all get ECG checked on a regular basis.
  • Individuals frequently experiencing heart palpitations, arrhythmia, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, weakness, dizziness, elevated heart rate should acquire an ECG every time they experience discomfort in order to establish the cause of such symptoms.
  • Patients who suffered myocardial infarction are recommended to schedule regular personal or remote consultations with their cardiologists during the first year of rehabilitation.
  • Individuals under significant physical or personal pressure, as well as those with low level of physical activity, are recommended to do ECG self-check on a monthly basis as well as every time after they experience stress.
  • Individuals suffering from cardiovascular disease are recommended to work closely with their doctor to schedule ECG self-checks. For example, when the doctor needs to correct the dosing regimen for antiarrhythmic therapy. With the help of personal cardiographer “Cardiometer-MT” you will be able to get an ECG anytime, anywhere.
• How would I be able to tell if I should go see a doctor?

  After you’ve acquired an ECG with “Cardiometer-MT”, you will get an automatic response (automated summary report about your ECG) that will be displayed on the screen of your mobile device. The report will contain two columns: one for your heart rate (left) and the other one for the form of atrio-ventricular complex (right). Solid horizontal line separates the norm and deviation from the norm. Sections will be color-coded depending on condition with green for normal, yellow for deviations from the norm and red for pathology. The more sections are colored yellow and red, the higher the deviation from the norm and extent of pathology. You will be able to decide whether a visit to a doctor (or remote consultation) might be necessary by doing a self-assessment of your physical condition and taking into account results of your ECG from the automated ECG report.
• What if I experience periodic chest pain? Do I need to get an ECG and when?

  To answer this question, you should contact physician specialist (cardiologist) to schedule a medical exam that will establish the causes of heart disease, chest pain or elevated heart rate. ECG recording is a primary essential diagnostic test when cardiovascular disease is suspected in a patient. You can take advantage of our cardiograph system "Cardiometer-MT" and record one more ECGs at the time of the attack prior to a visit to a doctor’s office by yourself so that you can show them to your physician at the time of the appointment. This will help you doctor to select additional diagnostic tests to establish the causes of the symptoms and confirm the diagnosis. Under certain conditions (for example in case of sporadic attacks of arrhythmia and syncope of unknown etiology), ECG acquisition at the time of the attack can point to a cause of the problem thereby reducing the number of additional diagnostic tests.
• How would I know that there are some pathological changes in my ECG, if I don’t know how to read them?

  If you have a computer with internet access, you can log into your personal account on our website (old.micard.ru) to browse all of your acquired cardiograms and automated (or physician-transcribed) summary reports. You will be able to judge whether a visit to a doctor (or remote consultation) might be necessary by doing a self-assessment of your physical condition and results of your ECG from the automated ECG reports. If you don’t have access to your personal profile on micard.ru, you can take advantage of color-coded automated summary reports that appear on your mobile device after electrocardiogram acquisition. The color-coded "traffic light" report will contain the graphics with two columns: one for your heart rate (left) and the other one for atrio-ventricular complex (right). Solid horizontal line separates the norm and deviation from the norm. Color-coding is used to describe your condition with green for normal, yellow for deviations from the norm and red for pathology. The more sections are colored yellow and red, the higher the deviation from the norm and extent of pathology. You will be able to decide whether an emergency visit to a doctor might be necessary by doing a self-assessment of your physical condition and results of your ECG from the automated ECG report.
• Why should you get an electrocardiogram in the first place?
  ECG recording is a primary diagnostic test for assessment of cardiovascular system. Results of ECG can reveal a host of cardiovascular diseases including cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmia, infarction, heart defects, causes of chest pain, irregular heartbeat or suggest additional diagnostic tests that will be necessary to get the right diagnosis. The idea behind a procedure is in registering electric potentials of the heart during myocardial contraction that get recorded by the device and later transcribed. With the help of our at-home cardiograph "Cardiometer-MT" you will be able to get ECG recordings for you and your loved ones without having to spend time and money on a doctor’s visit. Your personal account on Kardioserver (old.micard.ru) will store all of your recorded ECGs as well as automated (and/or your physician’s) conclusions (ECG transcription reports).
• What is an electrocardiograph?
  Electrocardiograph is a medical device that registers electrical impulses of the heart during excitation. These impulse recordings form an electrocardiogram. ECG recordings allow physicians to determine the cause of heart disease such as irregular heartbeat, dizziness, etc or suggest additional tests to form a correct diagnosis.
  There are several classifications of electrocardiographs. In particular, these devices can be distinguished by the number of channels as single- or multichannel (with three, six or twelve channels) electrocardiographs. Cardiometer-MT is a 12-channel at-home personal cardiograph that can be used for acquisition of ECG at rest.
• I saw that there are 3-, 6- and 12-channel electrocardiographs. What are the differences between these devices?
  days, one-, three-, six- and twelve-channel electrocardiographs are available on the market. The number of channels is usually defined by manufacturers as the number of simultaneously displayed (or printed) registrations. Resting ECG is usually acquired by using a standard 12-channel scheme where I, II and III channels are for standard leads, aVR, aVL and aVF are enhanced unipolar leads for the extremities and channels V1-V6 are the chest leads. In order to acquire channels I-III and aVR, aVL and aVF, you would need to apply a total of four electrodes. In order to get a 12-channel acquisition – you will need to attach 6 additional electrodes on the chest, making a total of 10 electrodes. In most cases, readings from four electrodes at the extremities will be sufficient for heart rhythm evaluation and, as result; 6-channel ECG will be acquired. For assessment and localization of issues within the heart muscle, such as myocardial infarction, ischemia, intraventricular blocks and heart hypertrophy you will need ECG from both 4-extremities’ electrodes as well as 6-chest electrodes.
• What does "ECG self-check" mean?

  ECG self-check technology was developed by specialists from "MICARD-LANA" in collaboration with Almazov Federal Heart, Lung and Endocrinology Center. The core of the technology is based on ECG acquisition with Cardiometer-MT device, data transfer and processing on Cardioserver and generation of automated ECG report (ECG interpretation) simplified version of which is then displayed on the screen of the computer of mobile phone.
• How to determine if I have a cardiovascular condition?

  In order to establish whether you have a cardiovascular disease, you will need to have ECG taken on a regular basis. This method provides the easiest way to diagnose conditions of cardiovascular system.
  If you are experiencing symptoms such as palpitations, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, arrhythmia or chest pain, it is necessary to visit a cardiologist to identify the causes of your symptoms and properly establish the diagnosis.
  By using Cardiometer-MT, you will be able to record ECG anywhere at any time and get an immediate automated summary report (preliminary ECG conclusion) in a simplified form on the screen of your mobile phone or under your personal profile on Cardioserver.
• What is "preliminary report" and how is it different from a regular medical conclusion on ECG?

  All properly acquired ECGs come with automated preliminary summary reports (ECG interpretations). This was made possible by

  • Simultaneous ECG recording in 12 channels
  • Digital transfer of your data
  • High quality of ECG interpretation algorithm

  It is necessary to note, that no single diagnostic automated device can provide completely reliable result and there is always some possibility of error. Your personal physician is the only person who can reliably interpret your ECG results from computer analysis, evaluate their accuracy and make adjustments if necessary.
  For this reason, automated ECG conclusions that are displayed on your mobile phone device or under your personal user profile on Cardioserver should only be considered preliminary.
• Can your device be used for express evaluation of heart conditions and detection of heart disease?

  Recording of resting ECG is a primary diagnostic method for evaluation of condition of cardiovascular system. ECG allows to determine a full spectrum of cardiovascular disease including cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmia, infarction and heart defects; establish the causes of heart disease, palpitations or chest pain, and/or order additional tests necessary for determination of correct diagnosis. By using Cardiometer-MT device, you will be able to get synchronous ECG acquisition in 12 standard channels and get automated summary report (ECG interpretation) under your personal user profile on Cardioserver (old.micard.ru) and in simplified form ("traffic light") on your mobile device.
• What if I accidentally recorded my ECG under another user? Would I be able to move that ECG into my folder?

  It would not be possible to move an ECG between different users from recordings archive. Before getting an electrocardiogram, please make sure you selected the correct user for ECG recording.
• I’m planning on going on vacation out of the country. Is your device going to work abroad? How much would an ECG recording cost me there?

  Cardiometer-MT will be able to work in any place where there is mobile access. The cost of data roaming will depend on the mobile operator company you are using. Please check the rates for the data transfer with your mobile operator. The size of a single ECG is less than 100Kb.
• My doctor is not familiar with such device. Where would they be able to learn more?

  More detailed information about Cardiometer-MT is available on our website old.micard.ru. The website has separate section for physicians that describes advantages of working with this device.
• How can I get a password for my doctor? Would every one of my physicians use the same password or they should all be different?

  Patients cannot get access password for their physicians. Each doctor needs to register through "Physician’s desktop" software and get their personal login and password.

Purchasing the device

• Where can I buy your device?

  To place an order, please give us a call at +7(812)648-12-60 or fill out a form on our website. We will get back to you right away.

Electrodes

• Can I use disposable electrodes more than once?

  We do not recommend repeated use of disposable electrodes. The quality of acquired signal is going to diminish with every consecutive use. This can lead to errors in automated interpretation of ECG and complicate the work of consulting physician.
• Do I need special electrodes for ECG recording in children?

  There are specialized disposable electrodes available for children that are smaller in size and therefore more convenient to use, but you can also get children’s ECG by using standard electrodes.
• Should I moisten the electrodes before application?

  If you are using new disposable electrodes, there is no need in moisturizing them before use. They already contain the gel that improves contact with the skin. Multiple use electrodes should be moistened before every use.
• What if I place the electrodes improperly? How much would it affect the quality of a cardiogram if they were placed in the wrong spots?

  If you place the electrodes improperly, it may lead to your acquired ECG being different from your actual electrocardiogram, which may also affect the results of your automated diagnostic report. Use "how-to" video in order to place electrodes properly.

Registration

• It says in the device manual that patients need to register on micard.ru before cardiogram acquisition. Can I register by using a cell phone that comes with Cardiometer-MT?

  Yes. Moreover, if you purchased "Cardiometer-MT" set with a mobile phone, for your convenience we have already pre-registered you on Cardioserver. Your login and password to access Cardioserver can be found inside the package in a labeled envelope. Preregistered users that received their login and password with a package will have personal user profile preset with automatically generated information (set to 50 y.o. male). You can change these settings under your personal profile on Cardioserver. If you are an experienced user, you will be able to change the preset account information or register yourself.
• Why do I have to provide my gender and date of birth at registration?

  Information about patient’s age and gender is used in automated ECG interpretation and allows to generate a more accurate conclusion about your ECG. Preregistered users that received their login and password with a package will have personal user profile preset with automatically generated information (set to 50 y.o. male). You can change these settings under your personal profile on Cardioserver.
• Would I be able to get ECG recordings for my entire family?

  Yes, but you will need to register each patient separately. You should not get ECG recordings under personal user profile of another patient because both patient’s gender and age are accounted for in automated ECG interpretation. By using somebody else’s personal profile you will get inaccurate conclusion about your ECG.
• What if I lost or forgot my password for Cardioserver? Is there a way to retrieve it so that I can continue using the device?

  You can retrieve your password on micard.ru website. Your login page for personal user profile has a button "Password recovery". In order to retrieve your password you will need to provide a correct email address that you used during registration.
• My next-door neighbor wants to record an electrocardiogram. Should I create a separate login for her?

  Yes, it will be necessary to get a separate registration for each new patient.

ECG

• Where would I be able to print out ECG recordings acquired by "ECG self-check" set?

  You can print out ECG results from any computer with Internet connection by logging your personal user profile on micard.ru
• I don’t have a printer at home. Is there a way to show my recorded ECG to my doctor?

  If your doctor has a computer with Internet access, they will be able to download and install "Physician’s desktop" software and register on Cardioserver absolutely free. Once your doctor has registered, find out their username on Cardioserver. You can allow a doctor access your ECGs by going to your personal user account, clicking on "My Doctors" menu, entering your physician’s username on Cardioserver and pressing "Apply" button. Or tell your doctor your username and password and he will be able to get access to your ECGs by himself.
• Can there be any errors during ECG data transfer over the Internet? How accurate and trustworthy is my cardiogram going to be?

  ECG will be transferred over the Internet in a digital format without any deviations. The quality of your acquired ECG depends only on closely following instructions for acquisition and electrode placement.
• Can I get an ECG while sitting up (for example at work or in a car)? Or I have to lie down to get an ECG recording?

  It is not recommended to get an ECG recording while sitting because muscle tremble of a patient can negatively impact ECG quality. In order to get a good electrocardiogram, it is best to lie down with your hands and feet stretched out on a bed and relax your muscles after the electrodes have been attached. Sitting ECG can be acquired in order to identify problems in heart rhythm; in this case you do not even have to use chest electrodes.
• Can I use your Cardiometer-MT kit outdoors or on vacation?

  You can use the Cardiometer-MT anywhere there is cell phone reception. The signal strength will affect the time for data transfer to the server.
• What is the recommended way to record an ECG?

  ECG is typically recorded when the person is laying down on the back and breathing calmly. The environment should be calm and relaxing during the recording. You should remove all stressors leading to emotional excitement, do not talk to a patient or others and limit phone calls and strangers in the room during the test. During ECG recording, the patient should be breathing without making deep breaths, coughing or swallowing saliva. The patient should not be placed close to electrical power cords, power boards, high-power electrical devices, cathode-ray tubes, X-ray machines or high-frequency electrical current generators.
• I’m getting nervous about getting my ECG because I’m afraid to find out there is pathology on preliminary color-coded report ("traffic light"). What should I do?

  You can turn off color-coded "traffic light" report notification by selecting the appropriate option in your personal user profile.
• Is it necessary to connect all electrodes?

  No, it is not necessary. In order to simplify the process of applying the electrodes we included a special acquisition mode from four extremities electrodes ("hands and feet only"). In such case, automated ECG interpretation will be turned off.
• How is an ECG acquired from all electrodes is different from an ECG recorded from only hands and feet?

  ECG recorded from all electrodes contains 12 standard leads. It allows automated diagnostics of the heart rhythm and morphology (disorders in heart muscle including ischemic changes). ECG acquired from extremities contains data from 6 leads. This information allows only diagnostics of the heart rhythm by supervision of a physician. Color-coded "traffic light" preliminary automated report cannot be generated from such acquisition.
• What is the mode of acquisition? What are the possible modes of acquisition?

  "ECG self-check" software allows acquisition in three modes:

  • ECG recording with automated preliminary report and conclusions (from chest, hands and feet electrodes)
  • Express ECG recording (from hands and feet only)
  • ECG recording without automated diagnostics (from chest, hands and feet without checking for proper placement of electrodes).

  ECG acquisition with automated preliminary report generation is the primary mode of operation for the program. The correct placement of electrodes is checked before an ECG acquisition. Color-coded "traffic light" report is automatically generated after the data has been transferred to Cardioserver, ECG recording from the extremities is used when emergency ECG acquisition is needed so that it could be transferred to a server for a consultation with a doctor (for example in case of a drastic worsening of patient’s condition or suddenly developed issues in heart rhythm,. In such cases only extremities electrodes are applied and preparation for the acquisition takes minimal time. In this mode, recorded ECG is transferred to a server to be analyzed by a doctor and automated "traffic light" report will not be displayed on a screen of a mobile device. Electrode placement check will not be performed in such cases to speed up ECG acquisition.
  ECG recording without a generation of diagnostic report is used when electrodes cannot be successfully attached to a patient. Some of the possible causes may include high level of electromagnetic noise, usage of a cardiostimulator (artificial cardiac pacemaker) or disconnection of an electrode. In this mode, ECG will still be transferred to Cardioserver to be analyzed by a doctor but automated “traffic light” report will not be displayed and electrode placement will not be checked.

ECG self-check device

• Does the device come with a charger and how often should I charge it?

  The device works from a standard battery, one set of batteries is enough for acquisition of up to 1000 ECGs.
• How many ECG acquisitions can I get from one set of batteries?

  You can get up to 1000 ECG recordings from one set (provided you are using good quality batteries).
• What kind of batteries are compatible with your device?

  Any standard (AA type) batteries should work in our device. We recommend using high quality batteries from established companies.

"Traffic light" report

• What is a color-coded "traffic light" report?

  Color-coded traffic light report is a visual display for condition of a cardiovascular system of a patient. Traffic light report includes two arms. The arm on the left characterizes the state of the heart rhythm while the arm on the right is for the shape of atrioventricular complex. Blue horizontal line separates the norm and deviation from the norm.
  Green color stands for normal cardiogram. The more green cells you see in your report, the closer is the overall condition of the heart and atrioventricular complex to the average definitions of the norm. The more cells are colored yellow, the further is the deviation from the norm. Three gradients of red stand for the pathological changes. The more cells are colored red, the more serious is the pathological condition.
• "Traffic light" showed red, what should I do now?

  If you see several cells colored red, you should go see a doctor immediately.
• "Traffic light" shows yellow, what should I do?

  If you see several cells colored yellow, try to schedule an appointment with your physician.
• Why do I see a message "ECG has been transferred" on my display, but there is no "traffic light" report?

  You will see such message instead of the "traffic light" in three cases:

  • If your ECG was recorded from chest, hands and feet, but your electrocardiogram has a large number of artifacts or is very noisy, you will see "ECG has been transferred" message.
  • If the patient chose the mode that does not generate automated preliminary report by selecting the appropriate option in "ECG self-check software".
  • If the patient changed the setting under personal user profile that turned off display of automated preliminary "traffic light" report after the acquisition.
• I had a myocardial infarction and also suffer from arrhythmia. I got an ECG recording and the "traffic light" showed red even though I do not feel any worse than usual. Should I immediately call a doctor or I will always have “red” traffic light displayed from now on?

  ECG of person who had a myocardial infarction will always show the aftermath of such event. "Traffic light" will always display "red" in the morphology arm, you should contact your physician after getting an ECG recording.

Mobile phone

• Can I use my personal cell phone for ECG acquisition?

  Yes, we have developed "ECG self-check" software for OS Android (2.3+) smartphones that is available for download under "Software and documentation" section.
• What kind of SIM card should I buy?

  All cell phone operators have specific service plans that include data usage (internet).