iHealth Smart Blood Pressure Cuff Enters Trials, Aims To Improve Preventative Monitoring

Smart medical devices come in two varieties: the type that are positively science fiction-esque, and the type that take traditional medical items and give them a new variety of functionality. Such is the case with iHealth Labs' new smart cuff, a blood pressure cuff that is being tested on at-risk patients.

The smart cuff was created by the iHealth team in partnership with University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco cardiologists, and will join iHealth Labs' other varieties of smart health and medical devices in the future. Presently, the smart cuff is undergoing testing in an initial study at the VA, where data will be collected.

The iHealth smart cuff works in conjunction with Labs' smartphone app, which tracks information and aggregates it into various components and categories, providing a history of blood pressure rates and such. Of particular relevance is the cuff's monitoring of endothelian function, which one of the cardiologists on board has stated could be a better way to predict an impending stroke or heart attack than modern methods in use.

The folks over at Venture Beat spoke with iHealth's president Adam Lin, who says the smart cuff is being used by patients with high blood pressure. The data collected will be used to monitor the effects of certain treatments, like exercise and therapy. If all goes well, the cuff could end up being a portable option for at-risk patients in place of larger equipment that is confining.

VIA: Venture Beat

SOURCE: iHealth Labs