AliveCor reportedly yesterday said that it ended sales of its KardiaBand for use with the Apple Watch.
The company stopped selling the device in June and has pulled the device from its Amazon vendor profile as well, according to MobiHealthNews.
“In 2017, we were proud to launch the first FDA-cleared accessory for the Apple Watch,” AliveCor told the website. “Since then, we’ve focused on expanding capabilities within our KardiaMobile products and recently announced KardiaMobile 6L, the first of its kind six-lead mobile ECG. We’re committed to empowering customers with deeper knowledge about their heart health while continuing to innovate new technologies and capabilities.”
AliveCor first unveiled the ECG-equipped KardiaBand for Apple Watch in March 2016. It is a thin wrist band designed specifically for the Apple Watch that returns single-lead ECG readings and diagnostics that can be viewed through its app and sent to managing physicians. The device was later cleared for use in the Apple Watch in November 2017.
“Despite transitioning away from KardiaBand, we still very much believe that wearables have value in healthcare and continue to look for ways to be innovative in this space,” AliveCor told the site. “We’re excited about investing in new classes of wearables and giving customers new ways to interact with their health data.”
Apple launched its own on-board EKG scanning and AF detection technology in September last year. To take an EKG, users of the device must press their finger to the watch’s digital crown where the sensors on the underside of the watch will perform the EKG test in about 30 seconds.
Electrophysiology devices have well and truly found their way into wearable technology, and even though Apple and AliveCor parted ways, the developments that they are both making in this space is truly encouraging. A report by Grand View Research has predicted rapid growth for the electrophysiology devices by 2026, something that surely is within reach for the market.