California startup AliveCor updated its heart monitor to make it compatible with the next-generation iPhone 5. The company’s mobile ECG snaps on to the outside of an iPhone with sensors that monitor and record electrocardiogram rhythms wirelessly.
The new size and shape of Apple’s iPhone 5 meant that AliveCor needed to redesign the physical product, more than a simple software update. The San Francisco, Calif.-based mobile device maker will be handing out free iPhone 5 heart monitor devices at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting in Denver, Colo., as part of the month-long Arenas campaign for atrial fibrillation, according to a release.
The AliveCor ECG is available for physicians and patients, but only with a prescription because of the legal and health risks in interpreting data. The lesser known rival to AliveCor, Cardiac Designs, is still flying under the radar after having won FDA 510(k) clearance for its iPhone-based ECG monitor.
Last month, the company announced a shift at the helm, naming Daniel Sullivan its new president & CEO as the company sets its sights on wider commercial distribution.
