Cardiological care company AliveCor said on Monday that it is allowed to use its KardiaMobile 6L in the measurement of a patient's QTc and detection of potentially dangerous QT prolongation in patients with COVID-19 under the new US FDA guidance .

The QTc is a heart rate corrected interval that reflects the integrity of the heart's electrical recharging system. Abnormal prolongation of the QTc can stem from congenital long QT syndrome, many disease states, electrolyte abnormalities, stated the company.

A prolonged QTc can lead to a potentially fatal side effect, called drug-induced sudden cardiac death (DI-SCD), associated with the use of several medicines now being used in the treatment of COVID-19. The patients with a prolonged QTc are at greater risk for their hearts to go into a potentially dangerous arrhythmia called Torsades de Pointes, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and even worse, SCD.

According to the company, KardiaMobile 6L, which is the world's only six-lead personal ECG, will be used by healthcare professionals to monitor QT duration in patients receiving medications that can cause potentially life threatening QT prolongation.

With the global pandemic of COVID-19 upon us, several drugs being used off-label to treat COVID-19 include Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin, have the potential for unwanted QT prolongation and worse, DI-SCD, concluded the company.