(FoxNews.com) — Scientists funded by Britain’s Department of Health developed a new wrist watch-style device that could revolutionize the way blood pressure is measured.
The traditional arm-cuff blood pressure check, used by doctors for more than 100 years, could be replaced by the new device, researchers said Monday.
The new gadget is placed over the radial artery on the wrist so a sensor can measure the pulse wave. This reading is then fed into a computer that electronically calculates the blood pressure in the aorta, close to the heart.
The aorta, the largest artery in the body, gives a more accurate reading than pressure in the arm because of its proximity to the heart and brain, which are at higher risk of damage during a heart attack or stroke.
“The aorta is millimeters away from the heart and close to the brain, and we have always known that pressure here is a bit lower than in the arm,” said lead researcher Bryan Williams, a professor at the University of Leicester. “Some patients have high pressure in the arm, but their aortic pressure is completely normal. We believe that these patients don’t need to be treated.”
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Whilst the device may be new, the idea isn’t. It is just high time that this is being made public. The first time I’ve read about this was in 2001, in an interview with a Sydney Cardiologist, Professor Michael O’Rourke. The article is called “A High Tech Way of Taking a Pulse” (if the link does not work and you need to google it). http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s259137.htm
The main ‘problem’ will be for doctors to admit that they may have been over-treating some patients with drugs they may not have needed in the first place.