Dr. Arvind Sinha has been suffering from hypertension for the last 3 decades and has had cardiac problems for close to 2 decades now. He first developed cardiac problems when he was around 46-47 years of age due to a sedentary lifestyle. About 25 years back, he underwent a coronary bypass operation. Almost a year ago his son Dr. Chandan Sinha came across the GOQii Vital ECG band, he decided to get it for his father to keep a check on his ECG. 9 months later, Dr. Arvind Sinha, one afternoon, suddenly developed palpitations. This kind of palpitations was something he had never experienced in 3 years. He had an oximeter by his bedside and so he first checked his SpO2 levels. His SpO2 levels were normal and BP showed 148-88mmHg. But, the palpitations continued for a while. Then around half an hour later, he again felt uneasy which is when he decided to use the GOQii Vital ECG band and check his ECG. The time was around 5:30 pm. The ECG reading showed abnormal – Atrial Fibrillation. Dr. Sinha was having palpitations when he took the ECG. He took his ECG (on his own) and the device helped him to understand what was happening to him.

Dr Chandan Sinha says, “We do have a proper ECG machine at home where we would take my father’s ECG readings. But, it would have taken a while before we took his ECG when he had palpitations. In such a scenario, the device is handy and it helped understand the abnormal situation immediately. What surprised us was we got a call from their Bangalore HQ and the person on the other side sounded concerned and was asking for the well-being of the patient. Moreover, he wanted us to connect to a doctor if required. Now, this is something which would help the elderly staying alone in smaller cities of India. I feel it’s a must have item for parents, not a normal fitness band but the perfect health tracker!” he adds.

1.53 mn deaths happen in India due to heart attacks every year  

How often have we have heard of situations wherein a cardiac patient has felt uneasy due to a very high heart rate (upwards of 180 beats per minute), uneasiness in the chest, severe sweating, high BP and has been rushed to the hospital and the first thing that is done is to take an ECG. Imagine if the same can be taken immediately with a band on the wrist of the patient; it can save a life. The GOQii Vital ECG device, according to both Dr Arvind and Dr Chandan Sinha, is a good preventive device on the wrist that gives you an indication to take action immediately.

The likelihood of surviving a heart attack is over 80% if action is taken within  the first 2 hours

GOQii Vital ECG provides ECG reports powered by Tricog Health, a platform that instantly and accurately interprets ECG readings with advanced technology and medical expertise. GOQii’s data shows that since August 2019, a total of over 10000 ECGs have been taken and the average age, of approximately 1000 users using the device, is 45 years of age. The ECG report is verified by Tricog & delivered within one minute in GOQii App. The ECG report in PDF format can be shared immediately with the doctors via Whatsapp, E-Mail, etc.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 17.7 million people lost their lives due to cardiovascular disease in 2015, making it the number one killer. In India, around 1.5-3 million deaths happen due to heart attacks every year. The high rate of mortality caused by heart attacks is mainly because the symptoms are often ignored or misunderstood. The likelihood of surviving a heart attack is over 80% if the action is taken within the first 2 hours. However, the average time between symptoms and treatment in India is over 6 hours. 

“We at GOQii are fostering a preventive health ecosystem. Our aim is to focus on real-time and easy ECG diagnostics on your fingertip, coupled with lifestyle coaching advice. We are interpreting GOQii Vital EGG data along with state-of-the-art deep learning-based Arrhythmia detection algorithms. This is a big step towards the reduction in India’s mortality rate due to heart disorders and is in support of PM Modi’s Vision of #FitIndia,” says Vishal Gondal, Founder & CEO, GOQii.

According to doctors, Cardiac diseases is the number 1 killer in India, due to the lack of awareness and availability of necessary medical infrastructure. Most people only check their ECG once they have suffered a cardiac episode, even though it is a quick and inexpensive test. The reason being most primary care clinics are not equipped with ECG machines owing to their high cost and complex nature. Secondly, a lot of primary care doctors do not receive sufficient training in ECG interpretation.

“Heart palpitations which tend to get overlooked is a strong indicator or symptom of an underlying heart problem. By raising awareness & providing a band which easily provides an ECG report by means of a simple touch, GOQii is revolutionizing the prevention of serious heart and brain ailments,” says Rajashree Menon, Business Head- Healthcare, GOQii.

The GOQii Vital ECG along with Tricog is here to bring in a new generation of heart monitoring on people’s wrists. “Undetected Arrhythmias can lead to potentially life-threatening conditions like strokes, that can be prevented with the use of technology and medicine,” says Dr. Charit Bhograj, Chief Cardiologist and CEO at TricogBhograj. 

Adding and echoing Dr Bhograj’s words is Dr. Vanita Arora, Director and Head Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab & Arrhythmia Services, Max Hospital, Saket. She adds, “The GOQii Vital ECG band will help diagnose symptoms of arrhythmia that are transitory in nature, thus aiding in quick analysis and interpretation as the symptoms exist only for a brief period. The patient can understand that the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat is irregular in a period of 30 seconds, and can take immediate action to prevent any fatalities.” Atrial Fibrillation increases the risk of Stroke and associated complications.

The GOQii Vital ECG wrist wearable can record a single-lead ECG, off the user’s wrist and makes diagnosis readily available to the masses. Also, users can book an online consultation with a cardiac specialist for a nominal fee. The consultant can help analyse the ECG report along with the lifestyle data, to recommend changes. 

The band also has a feature to detect serious heart conditions like Atrial Fibrillation. This has been made possible due to Tricog Health’s deep learning-based Arrhythmia detection algorithm -DeepRhythm™. It will provide GOQii’s users with accurate interpretation of their single-lead ECG. DeepRhythm is Tricog’s proprietary algorithm* (FDA pending) that has been developed with over three years of research, using 30 million traces of ECG recordings to detect several forms of Arrhythmias. The GOQii Vital ECG is only a screening device and not a medical-grade device.

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