CARE NOW HEALTHY HEART SYSTEM: THE LATEST IN EXPERT HEART CARE

The Medical City will launch the latest and only mobile device for cardiovascular care in the country on Monday, March 5, 2012.  This revolutionary gadget called “CareNow Healthy Heart System” will digitally aid patients with real-time monitoring of their heart rate, plus the advantage of having a team of cardiologists assess the sent data.  This way patients are assured that their heart condition are monitored and supervised by expert cardiologists, whenever and wherever they are. 

            Who can avail of this gadget?  Patients with a strong family history of heart diseases, especially sudden cardiac arrest; have risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, obesity/overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes; have undiagnosed chest pains or frequent palpitations; those with episodes of “blacking out” or frequent dizziness; those who travel frequently, especially to places with scarce medical support; those who have undergone an invasive heart procedure such as angioplasty, bypass/heart surgery or device implantation; and persons who are concerned about their overall health.   

For more information, please contact The Medical City’s Cardiovascular Center at tel. nos. 988-1000/988-7000 local 6299/6243, or send us an email at mail@medicalcity.com.ph. 

FAQs for consumers

1. What is TMC CareNow Healthy Heart System?

The TMC CareNow Healthy Heart System is a state of the art technology that easily connects you to your doctor or cardiologist.  The system uses CareNow ECG mobile phone, an ECG device with integrated mobile phone capability which records your heart rhythm without using any wires.

Through TMC CareNow Healthy Heart System, you can send your ECG rhythm strip recordings to The Medical City’s 24-hour Health Concierge where a team of experts from the Cardiology department will analyze and respond to your ECG readings by sending SMS message to your Care Now ECG phone for ECG rhythm interpretation and further instructions.

The CareNow ECG mobile is powered by EPI Life which is conceptualized, designed and manufactured in Singapore by Ephone International (S) Pte Ltd. It is a Product of Singapore.

2. How does the system work?

The Care Now ECG mobile can record ECGs which displays the electrical activity of the heart. It is extremely useful for early detection of abnormal heart rhythms and potentially dangerous heart conditions.

Using the CareNow ECG mobile, you can record your heart rhythm by using your left hand to hold the two side contacts and the two right fingers touching the bottom contact. See image below.

Through TMC CareNow Healthy Heart System, all ECG recordings from your Care Now ECG phone are sent to TMC’s 24-hour Health Concierge via GPRS. You can use any SIM card from any valid telecommunications company (Telco).

You can also keep track of your ECG recordings through your CareNow Virtual Health Folder.

3. What is CareNow Virtual Health Folder?

CareNow Virtual Health Folder is a personalized and secured web-based account where you can track and monitor your health progress.

All ECG recordings sent from your CareNow ECG mobile are stored in the Virtual Health Folder.

The Virtual Health Folder can be accessed globally as long as there is internet access.

4. Are the ECG recordings from Care Now ECG mobile accurate?

Clinical studies have been conducted and the findings published in the European Heart Journal (one of the 3 leading heart journals in the world) indicate that there is up to 98% correlation between the ECGs taken by a standard 12-lead ECG machine and the Care Now ECG mobile.

5. Can the ECGs be printed out for reference?

Yes. You can login to your personal health folder account via the Internet to view and print your sent ECGs. 

6. Can one CareNow ECG mobile be used by multiple users?

Currently the system is only able to accommodate single user baseline – that is from the initial owner’s baseline ECG rhythm strip, all succeeding ECG rhythm strips sent will be compared to. Thus, users are advised to be consistent in the recording of their leads in accordance with the initial baseline that was advised or prescribed by the doctor.

As every user has his or her unique heart signal, the device is not intended for multiple users. This is because if an ECG is sent from someone other than the subscriber, the tracing will be compared to the baseline tracing of the original user, hence the results might not be accurate.

8. What is the main purpose of this ECG mobile device?  How useful is this device? 

CareNow ECG mobile can detect abnormal heart rhythm (or arrhythmia), such as irregular heartbeats and fast or slow heart rates, and may also expose the underlying cause of symptoms such as palpitations, breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness or dizziness. These are detected immediately at the onset of the symptoms, unlike in the current scenario wherein you have to go to the hospital or clinic to have your ECG taken. It may also be useful for chest pain in certain cases.

With the CareNow ECG mobile and TMC Care Now Healthy Heart System, you can now easily determine whether or not your symptoms are related to a heart condition that requires immediate attention, ensuring early and timely detection of heart issues that could potentially lead to sudden cardiac death.

9. Are the ECGs read by a computer or by actual persons? Who are the people reading the ECGs?

The ECGs are read by a team of trained and qualified doctors, nurses and cardiac technicians who are specifically trained in the field of arrhythmia.

10. Can I send the ECG to my doctor?

The ECG can be sent to your doctor via email or fax as and when requested via our 24-hour Health Concierge.  Alternatively, you may give your doctor access to your Care Now Virtual Health Folder.

11. Can I use the ECG mobile device to monitor my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels?

No. But the device allows you to input blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol measurements which are sent to your virtual health folder for tracking. However, you are still required to take the tests from another medical device to get the readings. 

12. Are there any other hospitals/clinics currently prescribing the use of this ECG mobile device to their patients?

Currently, The Medical City is the first and only health institution in the Philippines to prescribe this device to its patients.  Hospitals in other countries however are already recommending the ECG mobile device to their patients. These are:

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore

Singapore Heart Foundation

Parkway Group, Singapore

GP Clinics, Singapore

13. Who will benefit most from this device?

Persons with 2 or more of the following may benefit from this device:

• A family history of heart diseases, especially sudden cardiac arrest.
• Risk factors for heart diseases such as: smoking, obesity/overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes.
• Undiagnosed chest pains or frequent palpitations.
• Those with episodes of “blacking out” or frequent dizziness.
• Those who travel frequently, especially to places with scarce medical support.
• Those with a history of heart attack, or who have undergone an invasive heart procedure such as angioplasty, bypass / heart surgery or device implantation?
• Persons who are concerned about their health.

 
CareNow mobile device can help monitor a patient’s heart condition and detect any life-threatening abnormalities.

14. How can I subscribe to TMC Care Now Healthy Heart System?

Application forms are available at the Cardiovascular Center where you will be taught how to use the phone and how to activate it.

The Cardiovascular Center will issue a charge slip for the payment of the phone and your subscription of choice (monthly or yearly).

To renew your subscription, please proceed to the Cardiovascular Center before your subscription expires.

15. Can I use the service overseas?

As long as your SIM card has data roaming, you can use the service overseas. Please do remember that overseas roaming charges will apply from your Telco.

15. What happens when I stop subscribing to the service? Can I still access all my ECGs?

Online account will be deactivated upon discontinuing the subscription to the service. You can continue to use the phone but without the SMS reply for any ECGs recorded.

16. Which countries would I not be able to use this device in?

The current model of CareNow mobile is Dual-band GSM900/1800 which is fully functional in the presence of a GSM900/1800 network with GPRS.

GSM-900 and GSM-1800 are used in most parts of the world: Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, Oceania (and most of Asia).

In South and Central America the following countries use the following:

• Peru - GSM-1900
• Costa Rica - GSM-1800
• Brazil - GSM-850, 900, 1800 and 1900
• Guatemala - GSM-850, GSM-900 and 1900
• El Salvador - GSM-850, GSM-900 and 1900

 The only exceptions are North America, parts of South and Central America, Japan and South Korea, where GSM 900/1800 is unavailable.