Technology
Wearable technology But what if the number of readings could increase exponentially via wearable tech innovation? At present, the average hypertensive patient currently measures their blood pressure only once per week due to the inconvenience and discomfort associated with a traditional cuff. In fact, research shows even a very motivated patient is unlikely to provide more than 30 readings a month, and in fact, half of hypertensive patients report never taking their BP at home, 10% check it less than once a month and only 24% more than once a week.3 This sporadic at-home monitoring can lead to poor management and delays in optimising treatment. However, there are new wearable tech
innovations which provide people with the ability to measure their blood pressure 24/7 – such as Aktiia. Aktiia is a cuffless device worn as a discreet bracelet which monitors blood pressure 24/7, including when users are asleep. It gathers over 100 times the amount of data of other blood pressure monitors. It launched after 18 years of R&D and has been validated in multiple published clinical studies.4
The device now has
tens of thousands of users, since its launch in Spring 2021 – generating stress-free, pain-free measurements, night and day. To date, over 31 million measurements have been taken across Europe. You can easily view and understand your measurements via the Aktiia App, and with a simple click, a digital summary can be easily shared with a physician or family member. In the future, many aspects of healthcare will
be provided by integrating continuous data from multiple non-obtrusive sensors that capture vital parameters that include BP and heart rate. There is no question in my mind that wearable tech for biometrics will continue to grow and
develop exponentially as we, as clinicians, come to better appreciate the critical importance of continuous measurement, coupled with the expanding appetite for individuals to take control of their own health destiny.
References 1. NHS England, NHS
England.uk, 3rd November 2021, NHS offers home blood pressure checks to save thousands of lives
2. World Health Organization,
WHO.int, 25th August 2021, Hypertension (
who.int)
3. K, Lee et al, What Are The Preferred Blood Pressure Measurement Methods By Doctors To Detect, Diagnose And Treat Hypertension? A Survey Study In A Chinese Population, Journal of Hypertension, vol. 39, no. p, pp. e344-e345, 2021
4. Vybornova, A., Polychronopoulou,E., Wurzner- Ghajarzadeh,A., Fallet, S., Sola,J., Wuerzner, G., Blood pressure from the optical Aktiia Bracelet:
CSJ
a 1-month validation study using an extended ISO81060-2 protocol adapted for a cuffless wrist device, Blood Pressure Monitoring, pg305-311, vol 26, August 2021, doi: 10.1097/ MBP.0000000000000531
5. Sola, J., Vybornova, S., Polychronopoulou,E., Wurzner-Ghajarzadeh,A., Wuerzner, G. Scientific Reports, vol 11, 19th October 2021, https://doi. org/10.1038/s41598-021-99294-w
About the author
Professor Melvin Lobo, is an NHS professor of cardiovascular medicine, and director of the internationally renowned Barts Blood Pressure Clinic, which has been recognised as a Hypertension Centre of Excellence by the European Society of Hypertension. The clinic is allied with the world-renowned
William Harvey Research Institute and has participated in numerous landmark studies in hypertension. He is a specialist adviser to NICE and the European Society of Hypertension on interventional therapies in hypertension and a member of the Council on Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology.
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