Recommended Home Monitoring Tools and Reading for Patients
Patients often ask about home monitoring equipment—such as ECG devices, blood pressure monitors, glucose tracking apps—as well as useful books to read. Increasingly, doctors are also encouraging individuals to pay closer attention to their waistlines, since visceral adipose tissue (VAT) plays a crucial role in long-term health.
It therefore makes sense to monitor not only your blood pressure, weight, and ECG (if you are prone to arrhythmia), but also your waist circumference. Body composition scales can also be a valuable part of routine self-care at home.
The following list of recommended tools and devices has been compiled by a single cardiologist and does not represent an endorsement by the Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic (SCVC) faculty or reflect a consensus of medical opinion. Patients are encouraged to ask their own physicians for individualised recommendations.
However to support a self-care approach, I have set out below a curated list of products that my patients find useful for home use. Where there is more than one option in a category, items are listed in ascending order of price at the time of writing. For smaller devices—particularly those included in SCVC’s cardiometabolic and general cardiology outpatient services—our team will also aim to keep stock available for purchase or loan, and can assist with set-up and usage.
Please note: this page is based on my own experience and that of my patients. It does not constitute formal guidance or recommendation from Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic Ltd.
Disclosure: If a purchase is made via the Amazon links within 24 hours of a reader clicking the link, the data processing and medical publishing company MedicalSpace Ltd (which I am a majority shareholder) may receive a small sale commission (typically 1–5%) as a participant in the Amazon Associates Programme. In return, I commit to reviewing and updating this list of recommended products on a regular basis.
Dr Edward Leatham
Heart Rhythm Monitors
KardiaMobile 1-Lead Personal ECG Heart Rate Monitor –
Record ECGs at Home, Detects Atrial Fibrillation, Trusted by the NHS, Results in 30 Seconds
(Requires a smart phone)
Emay 1-Lead Personal ECG Heart Rate Monitor
Record ECGs at Home, Detects Atrial Fibrillation, Results in 30 Seconds
Useful for patients with no or limited smartphone capabilities. (Requires a smart phone or PC to transmit results).
Blood Pressure Monitors
Bluetooth tape measure to monitor anthropometry (waist and muscle mass)
Body composition scales
Food analysis app
Available via our e commerce partner Medicalspace, Dr Shape is our groundbreaking app that uses AI and Whatsapp to provide the user with an immediate synopsis of any food plate. Following registration you will receive a daily caloric and macro nutrient goal from Dr Shape’s food bot allowing you use the app to check how you perform against a personalised target. This is ideal for people that wish to improve metabolic health, lose VAT and excess weight. SCVC includes a Dr Shape subscription with our 6 month VAT-reduction programme and also with the 8 month GLP-1 mimetic metabolic reset.
You can also order Dr Shape here.
Carbohydrate resilience test (CarbR)
This is a medical grade test that combines food and lifestyle analysis (daily photos and log uploads are required) with a 10-14 days period of continuous glucose monitoring. The test is reported by a medical doctor and will define whether there is a carbohydrate sensitive phenotype. We also classify the glucotype and current glucose profile agianst our benchmark standard.
Glucose monitors
For patients that simply want to assess their glucose response to food intake- a CGM and some know how may be all that you need.
The Freestyle Libre 2 will give you a good idea of your glucotype, however will miss transient spikes (as samples every 15 minutes)
The Freestyle Libre 3 samples every minute, so won’t miss short glucose spikes, but it is pricier!
Books and Audiobooks
This global best seller is an eye-opener. It explains glucose as fuel and its role in our metabolism along with where the human race has gone wrong in nutrition. The book includes many ‘glucose hacks’ that anyone with non diabetic hyperglycaemia or carbohydrate sensitive phenotype (CSP) may find useful optimise their diet to improve health.
Gary Taubes is a well-respected forensic journalist who spent year researching diabetes and the food industry obsession with fats. This book is fascinating read for anyone with an interest in nutrition and certainly explains the history behind the antifat/ pro carbohydrate lobby. It will also explain why there has been a move back to including fats, especially diary, eggs and unsaturated fats, are now considered to essential parts of a healthy diet, even if you have a raised blood LDL Cholesterol.
Strength training dumb bells
10 minute daily strength video on Youtube
