Aktiia has announced plans to launch its automated 24/7 blood pressure monitor in the US.
The new device is designed to automatically gather more than 100 times the blood pressure data of other monitors and also provides ten times more engagement.
The company’s Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM) algorithms use optical sensors which are worn on the wrist.
Using photoplethysmography (PPG), these sensors provide blood pressure values by analysing the change in artery diameter that occurs at each heartbeat.
The measurements are done automatically, and users are not required to interrupt their day to take readings.
The data can be viewed instantly in a mobile app and easily shared with a physician or family member.
Aktiia noted that this automated approach removes the patient’s daily burden of measuring blood pressure values and allows them to focus on cardiovascular health improvement.
The blood pressure monitoring system received CE-mark as a Class IIa medical device in January last year and is currently available in seven European countries.
Aktiia announced a landmark hypertension trial in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in the US.
As of now, more than 3,000 participants have been enrolled in the BWH Remote Hypertension Programme.
BWH hypertension service director, consultant and advisor to Aktiia, and Harvard Medical School associate professor of medicine Dr Naomi Fisher said: “Hypertension affects nearly half of Americans, every hour of every day. Yet current measurement devices only capture a brief snapshot of overall blood pressure, and they are burdensome to use.
“The COOL-BP study will test an optical cuffless technology in BWH’s remote hypertension management programme. An innovation that automatically provides blood pressure readings continually through days and nights holds tremendous promise in our efforts to control hypertension, both for individuals and for global health.”
