REVIEW – As a younger-ish adult being told you have a heart condition is pretty scary. I was diagnosed with tachycardia during a routine check-up. This means my heart randomly races for no apparent reason. I am also asymptomatic so I don’t even notice when it occurs. Monitoring my heart rate accurately became very important to me. I needed something more sophisticated than my smartwatch could provide which is how I found the Wellue ECG/EKG Monitor. It allows me to monitor my heart 24/7 without interfering with my day to day activities and it’s discrete enough that no one around me notices it. It also allows me to download all of the data from the device and get it analyzed through AI so I can keep tabs on how my heart is doing. If something seems off, I can then send the data to my doctor to look over it more in-depth. For me, it’s a great way to monitor my heart condition without constant doctors appointments and large machines.
What is it?
The Wellue ECG/EKG Monitor is a wearable heart monitor coupled with software that uses AI to analyze the data and provides feedback on any heart conditions.
What’s in the box?
- Wellue ECG/EKG Monitor
- Power/data cable
- USB drive with analysis software, ECG Browser
- 10 disposable electrodes
- Chest strap
Hardware Specs
- EC Directive:
- MMD – 93/42/EEC
- R&TTE – 2014/53/EU
- ROHS 2.0 – 2011/65/EU
- Degree protection against electrical shock: Type BF
- Temperature: 5° – 45°C
- Relative humidity: 10% – 95%
- Atmospheric pressure: 700 – 1060hPa
- Degree of dust & water resistance: IP22
- Drop test: 1m
- Battery: 3.7Vdc, 90mAh, 72 hour run time, 2 hour charge time
- Charging voltage: 4.5 – 5.5v DC
- Lead type: Single-lead ECG
- Lead: Lead II
- Input impendence: ≥10MΩ, 10Hz
- Linearity and dynamic range: 10mV (peak-to-valley)
- Common mode rejection: ≥ 60dB
- Frequency response: 0.67 – 40Hz
- Gain error: max ±10%
- Size: 100 x 23 x 8.3 mm
- Weight: < 35g
- Life: 5 years
- ECG Browser:
- CPU: P4 1.7Ghz or above
- Memory: 1GB or above
- Storage: free disk space greater than 200MB
- Operating system: Windows 7 or Windows 10
Design and Features
The design of the monitor is simple. The front side of it has an “R” to indicate which side should be on your right side when you wear it along with an LED indicator. The LED is off when it’s dead, solid yellow while charging and solid green when fully charged. It also flashes depending on what mode the device is in, flashing yellow means low battery, a very slow green flash means it’s in stand-by mode and while worn it synchronizes the green flash with your heartbeat. The back side of it has two electrode snaps as well as the power contact for charging and transferring data. The middle gray part is quite flexible making it possible for the device to contour to your body more comfortably.
There are two ways of wearing the Wellue ECG/EKG monitor, chest strap or electrodes. I personally prefer wearing it with the electrode stickers but I am allergic to prolonged exposure to the adhesive so I alternate between the chest strap and the stickers. The stickers are fabric with a small metal snap in the center and a conductive gel on the back. The chest strap is soft elastic with snaps for attaching the monitor to it and has a classic bikini fastener for those of us who know what those are. On the inside of strap is a plastic like strip that you need to get damp before putting it on to allow for optimal conductivity.
Since this isn’t that kind of site, I did not take any pictures of me wearing the device but it is simple to use. The chest strap is cinched snug around your chest right where your sternum ends. It doesn’t need to be super tight but it can’t slip down either. I found adjusting it took a bit of trial and error but once I got it set it was very comfortable to wear and I barely even noticed it. I was even able to sleep with the chest band on and it didn’t shift or slide down.
The electrode stickers are a little more difficult to use at first but require less fiddling throughout the day. The right electrode is placed a few inches under where your collarbone meets your neck while the left electrode is placed at a 45° angle downwards towards your armpit. I found it easiest to place the right electrode first then snap on the monitor and the second electrode with the back peeled slightly off so I could get it correctly aligned.
Once the method of wearing is situated, snap on the monitor with the “R” on the right side of your body. The device will vibrate to let you know you’ve attached it correctly and it will start to blink in sync with your heart rate. The monitor can store up to 30 hours of data before it starts overwriting the oldest information so it is recommended to download the data daily to prevent any data being erased.
Software
The software that downloads and analyzes the data from the monitor is simple to set up. You create an account with them and fill out some general information about yourself. Once you have it all set up, all you have to do is connect the monitor to your computer using the power/data cable and select download data in the top right side. Once it has imported all of the data you can have it analyzed by the AI system or view the ECG.
The analysis can take quite a bit of time so don’t expect an immediate result. However, once the data is analyzed it provides you with a very clear report.
The report outlines any events that occurred as well as the highest and lowest heart rate. I had a couple of Supraventricular heart beats that it identified and then showed the EKG for it as well. This is a great report to send to your doctor along with the raw EKG for them to analyze and make sure everything is ok.
What I like
- Ease of use
- Comfortable to wear
What I’d change
- Nothing
Final thoughts
The Wellue ECG/EKG Monitor is an easy way for those with heart conditions to monitor their heart from home. I personally found that I was more relaxed knowing that I had a way to monitor my heart accurately and provide data to my doctor if something felt off. I definitely recommend the Wellue ECG/EKG Monitor to anyone who is looking for a way to monitor their heart health.
Price: $299.00
Where to buy: Wellue
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Wellue
