When doctors or nurses measure our blood pressure, they normally place a cuff around our arm and inflate it. The measurement is for a point in time and sometimes representative. Scientists at Australia’s Monash University are developing a new approach. Their cuffless “blood pressure estimation system” can be worn for hours at a time and wirelessly transmit real-time readings.

The new approach uses radar technology and is comfortable because no pressure is applied to a patient’s body. Lead scientist Mehmet Yuce explains:

The system incorporates a few small sensors that are worn against the skin at arterial sites, beneath the clothing. By measuring the amount of time that it takes pulsed blood to travel between those sensors, it’s possible to ascertain the patient’s “pulse wave velocity” and thus accurately estimate their blood pressure.

Yuce and his team are focused on moving their prototype to a compact Internet-connected product. Yuce said, “The goal is to be able to provide monitoring for a continuous 24-hour period, and to be able to send that information to a doctor in real time.” See the full story at: New blood pressure tech says ciao to arm cuffs

Read more about new healthcare technologies in Health Attitude.