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iPhone case acts as ECG device for pets

AliveCor is an iPhone case and app that enables vets to monitor pets’ heart rates using their smartphone

SAN FRANCISCO — The developer of a mobile ECG recorder that attaches to an iPhone or iPod Touch has made the device available to vets.

Designed to snap onto the handset of an iPhone 4, 4S or iPod touch, the AliveCor Veterinary Heart Monitor features two electrodes to measure the electrical activity of animals and pets.

Veterinarians can obtain ECG readings, and store them in a secure AliveCor account on the phone and on the Web.

They can also e-mail and print PDF versions of stored ECGs to apply as part of the medical record or to send to a specialist or colleague, according to a press release.

The company is currently conducting a formal study at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine with dogs, cats, and horses.

“The Veterinary Heart Monitor is easy to set up and user-friendly,” said Marc Kraus, DVM, DACVIM, of Cornell.

“The tracing is excellent quality, transmission of the data to the cloud is seamless and storage and access to the data is immediate and efficient.”