Shortly after raising $65 million to grow its remote monitoring platforms, AliveCor has secured FDA clearance for its new generation of ECG-reading algorithms that spot a wider range of arrhythmias and potential heart conditions.
Through its pocket-sized sensors, the company’s artificial intelligence programs were previously cleared to detect three of the most common irregular heartbeats: atrial fibrillation, one of the key risk factors for stroke, as well as whether the heart’s pace is too fast or too slow.
“Kardia AI V2 is the most sophisticated AI ever brought to personal ECG,” AliveCor CEO Priya Abani said in a statement. “This suite of algorithms and visualizations will provide the platform for delivery of new consumer and professional service offerings beyond AFib, by allowing a much wider range of cardiac conditions to be determined on a personal ECG device.”
With a 30-second scan, the programs are now able to find ectopic heartbeats within a sinus rhythm—a sign of premature contractions in the ventricles or the atria that are out of sync with other chambers of the heart, which can sometimes cause the organ to skip a beat.
It can also measure longer-than-normal QRS rhythms, which could be a sign that the heart’s electrical signals are being blocked or delayed.
Additionally, the new version improves upon the algorithm’s sensitivity and specificity, the company said, reducing the number of unclassifiable results. It also adds new visualizations of average heart rate and changes in beats-per-minute over time.
AliveCor plans to launch the programs commercially next year as the foundation of a new range of telehealth offerings aimed at home-based care and remote monitoring—including consumer- and clinician-focused products.
The company’s $65 million series E round earlier this month raised funds from backers including OMRON, Khosla Ventures, WP Global Partners, Qualcomm Ventures and Bold Capital Partners.