A recent article in Knowable magazine discusses the modern cuff-free devices that are embedded in a cell phone or in accessories such as rings, bracelets or watches to measure and manage blood pressure.

According to the article, the latest generation of blood pressure gadgets aims to make it easier to diagnose and manage hypertension; unlike traditional ones, they don’t require an arm cuff and provide blood pressure values on demand, should the user tap their finger on a sensor, or continuously, if measured by a watch, ring or bracelet.

Ramakrishna Mukkamala, a bioelectrical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, who coauthored a look at blood pressure measurement using cuff-free devices in the 2022 Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, told “Regular blood pressure monitoring in all adults would improve hypertension awareness. For those who have hypertension, it may improve their control. For example, if patients continue to see that their blood pressure is high, they may finally become compliant in taking their medications.”

The cuff-based monitoring of blood pressure has many drawbacks, such as the fact that many people don’t own the device at home, that inflation and deflation are disruptive, and that it only provides a snapshot but not continuous monitoring. The electronic device-based measurement is said to correct those drawbacks.

The cuffless monitoring system is said to provide direct measurement where electronic signals are processed by algorithms. Stephen P. Juraschek, physician investigator of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleague, wrote in a recent report “unfortunately, the pace of evidence, regulation and validation testing has lagged behind the pace of innovation and direct consumer marketing”.

“The potential clinical value of cuffless blood pressure measurement is enormous. However, the caveats are equally large,” told James Sharman, an expert in blood pressure measurement methods and an exercise physiologist at the University of Tasmania in Australia.