Stated Purpose

The American College of Cardiology’s CardioSmart Heart Explorer app is designed to enhance the clinician/patient relationship at the point of care (1). In line with that, the app provides physicians with high-resolution cardiovascular graphics, images and animations to aid in the discussion of various cardiovascular diseases and treatments with patients (2).

1. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.acc.csexplorer&hl=en_CA

2. https://www.acc.org/membership/sections-and-councils/fellows-in-training-section/section-updates/2019/03/25/15/26/acc-app-review-cardiosmart-heart-explorer-app

This app may also be useful for health sciences students looking to increase their understanding of heart processes or how several heart conditions visually affect the heart.

The following disclaimer was listed on the Google Play store: ‘THIS APP IS FOR EVALUATION ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR CLINICAL PURPOSES AND ALL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS, AS-AVAILABLE BASIS’ (1)

Features

Users can interact with high resolution, animated full-colour cardiac-related graphics in 2-D and 3-D.

Within the app, there are several different ways to interact with graphics.

App users can: 

• Rotate graphics to get a 360 degrees view of a given area of the heart/ heart process
• Add labels to the heart/ heart processes
• Manually swipe through to see how a procedure might take place e.g. adding a TAVR balloon to the aorta
• Directly draw on a graphic to demonstrate where you would stent/ where an occlusion might take place etc.
• Watch videos demonstrating heart conditions e.g. atherosclerosis; videos show a ‘normal’ functioning heart versus one with a given condition/impairment
• Access patient education animations and interaction modules [Media Gallery]

‘Occlusions Interactive’ in the ‘Media Gallery’ allows the user to draw grafts, catheters, occlusions and stents on an image of the heart and then email the drawing using their device’s email client. Images cannot be saved within the app.

Screenshots

Specialties/Disciplines

Cardiology 

Physicians, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, patient educators.

Notes

None

Part 1: Editorial committee, content updates, and evidence grading

CardioSmart Heart Explorer provides a visual, high resolution graphic-based view of cardiovascular-related disease and treatments.

Because of that, the App is evaluative in nature and is not meant for clinical purposes (as mentioned within the App itself). Potentially because of this, no grading system has been used within the App. Similarly, update information relating to entries has not been provided, nor contact information for the parties involved in the creation of the App.

Part 2: Source and authorship information for 3 entries

There is no individual authorship or affiliation attached to each individual entry; however, the App has been provided by the American College of Cardiology, so organizational authorship may be presumed.

It is also worth noting that one of the videos within the app was created with support from an unrestricted educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly Company.” [Diabetes video]

Organization of information

The App is organized into two main ‘sections’: the main page, and the media gallery.

The main page displays 18 animated images organized by 6 categories. Information is organized by heart areas, processes and functions. Along with that, the topics relating to heart condition or issue are used to organize content.

A link to a ‘Media Gallery’ is also available on the main page. The Media Gallery includes 1 interactive drawing, 4 interactive animated images, and 23 videos.

The separation between the images on the main page and the ‘Media Gallery’ does not seem necessary.

Navigation

The App is easy and straightforward to navigate.  ‘Master Gallery’ on the main page is browse-able, as is the ‘Media Gallery’ linked to from main page.

There is a ‘hidden’ navigation feature at the top of each animated image (on the main page) that allows the user to navigate to the previous or next image.

‘Rotate and Animate’ images can be rotated using screen swipes, but this is only indicated by the group name of the images. There are not buttons on the images to indicate rotation.

The ‘back’ button/link is named ‘master,’ which is not standard.

Extras

User Account required: No

Internet connection required for use: No - Yes, if the user wants to send any of the content by email to a patient or caregiver. 

Text search field: No

Browsable content: Yes

Advertisements: No

Pop-up advertisements: No

In-app purchases: No

Devices 

Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Requires iOS 10.0 or later. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cardiosmart-heart-explorer/id602929990

Last updated (as per App store listing): December 5, 2018

Android tablets and smartphones. The App would appear to be compatible with any/all Android devices that have the operating system specifications required. Requires Android 4.3 and up. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.acc.csexplorer&hl=en_CA

Last updated (as per Google Play listing): December 4, 2018

Size

94MB (Android) ; 251.2 MB (iOS)

App Developer

Produced by Medmovie

Country of Origin

USA

Contact

Email: ACC_App@Medmovie.com  / accfdeveloper@acc.org