Monitoring blood pressure, a key health parameter, has traditionally required bulky equipment, trained medical personnel and been confined to clinical settings. Usually, blood pressure monitoring usually only takes place when other health concerns come to light, or on an ad-hoc basis, which means that there are often long intervals between readings. However, if blood pressure data are collected on a regular basis, monitoring of the results can provide valuable insight into a person’s overall health and wellbeing over a long period, rather than just at a snapshot in time, giving fuller, richer data. For such a neglected metric, blood pressure can provide significant information.
Times – and technologies – are changing. Increasingly, people are looking to monitor their health at home, with blood pressure increasingly coming to the fore as a metric for measurement. Commonly, this is done using commercially available cuff devices, either on the upper arm or the wrist. However, while these devices can give blood pressure values at a snapshot in time, they don’t always generate the data that’s useful and comparable. What would be more useful to physicians is a collection of accurate, aggregated and regular supply of blood pressure readings that can be relied upon to make diagnoses and manage treatments.
Wearable technology is now at the forefront of the healthcare innovation revolution. It is helping to make efficient use of healthcare resources and leading to more precise management of a variety of conditions with better patient outcomes – in particular for hypertension (high blood pressure), thanks to personalised recommendations.
This article focuses on the Aktiia bracelet and app, and how together they’re making blood pressure monitoring more accurate, convenient and accessible. Worn unobtrusively on the wrist, the device is ideal for use both day and night to provide a consistent data stream on an individual’s blood pressure.
As with any new technology, the million-dollar question is: how well does it perform? That’s especially true for medical devices. And in the case of the Aktiia bracelet, just how accurate, reliable and effective is it? To answer these questions, let’s learn more about the technology that the Aktiia device uses for blood pressure readings and the regulatory testing and validation it has undergone.
How Does the Aktiia Blood Pressure Monitor Achieve Accurate Readings?
Aktiia’s Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM) technology uses optical sensors to gather photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals from the arteries in the wrist. The shape of the PPG waveform contains information about blood pressure, and the OBPM algorithm strips out the ‘noise’ to turn these signals into systolic (pressure when the heart beats) and diastolic (pressure when the heart rests between beats) readings, along with resting heart rate.
The accuracy of blood pressure monitors is validated under the ISO 81060-2 standard, which stipulates that a product must be tested against a trusted reference device: examples include an arterial line, an arm cuff and a stethoscope, and a volume clamp on the finger. In one clinical trial, it was shown that the Aktiia blood pressure monitoring device performed within the ISO accuracy standards for systolic and diastolic measurements, as well as for measurements taken across multiple body locations. It was awarded the CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device in December 2020.
Accuracy Through Comparison
Setting-up and maintaining the Aktiia device regularly is key to accurate readings. When the device is first used, an initial comparison with an electronic upper arm cuff is required (provided with the product), which should then be repeated monthly to ensure continued accuracy.
The Aktiia blood pressure monitor is the only device available on the market that continually collects data and compares it with a monthly reference value.
Why is continuous blood pressure monitoring important?
To understand why continuous blood pressure monitoring is important, it’s worth comparing this method to traditional, inconsistent monitoring in clinical settings. Traditional cuff-based blood pressure monitors, while widely used, have their limitations and potential sources of error which could lead to inaccurate readings, including:
- White Coat Syndrome: Some individuals experience elevated blood pressure readings in clinical settings due to anxiety or stress, even if their blood pressure is typically normal at home.
- Cuff size and positioning: Fit and positioning of the cuff can significantly influence the accuracy of the readings. An ill-fitting cuff, or one that’s improperly positioned, can result in readings that are either too high or too low.
- Intermittent readings: As blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day and is influenced by various factors, a single reading might not accurately reflect an individual’s overall blood pressure health. In addition, a single-point reading might not take into account what happens to your blood pressure overnight or the phenomenon known as the ‘morning surge’.
- Irregular heart rhythm: In people with arrhythmias or irregular heart rhythms, cuff-based devices may not accurately capture blood pressure.
The primary advantage of continuous monitoring is the ability to capture a comprehensive view of an individual’s blood pressure throughout the day and night. Unlike intermittent readings, the Aktiia bracelet provides a more detailed picture of blood pressure patterns and fluctuations. These can help health professionals make more informed decisions about treatment plans and lifestyle recommendations.
Accuracy Through Aggregation
Consider your driving habits when passing through a stretch of road monitored by speed cameras versus an average speed check zone. This analogy helps to distinguish between traditional cuff-based monitors and Aktiia’s continuous measurement approach.
Speed cameras, like cuff devices, capture a snapshot of your driving speed at a single point in time. However, this might not accurately represent your driving norms. For instance, you might slow down upon noticing the camera and speed up again once you’ve passed it (of course, we’re certain you never do that). The point is: this one-off measurement may not reflect your typical driving speed, much like how a single blood pressure reading may not truly represent your overall blood pressure health.
On the other hand, average speed check systems, which in this metaphor is the Aktiia device, monitor your speed over a longer distance or period. This gives a more representative sample of your driving behavior. These systems calculate your average speed between two points, averaging your speed to offer a rounded, more meaningful view of your driving.
Aktiia’s continuous blood pressure monitoring allows for the 24/7 capture of blood pressure variations, providing a more nuanced and accurate understanding. Plus, it can level-out a host of factors that can affect your readings throughout the day – particularly around eating, drinking or smoking habits.
Accuracy Plus Convenience
In everyday use, reviews suggest the Aktiia combination of device and app work well together. The app helps visualise blood pressure readings, which in turn can motivate lifestyle changes – what we call ‘the Aktiia effect’. While the watch tracks changes in blood pressure over time, the app helps make sense of the data, so blood pressure monitoring quickly becomes a routine part of daily life.
In addition, the optical signals from the bracelet are checked by the app before being processed and returned by Aktiia’s cloud-based algorithms. This helps to ensure that only trusted, validated data is displayed. If regularly synchronised, the app quickly updates with the latest data, offering near real-time access to blood pressure information. And even if users don’t sync regularly, the bracelet has enough memory to store 30 days of sensor data.
However, no device is infallible, and while as some reviews have highlighted that the readings from the Aktiia device may occasionally vary, the deviation is within acceptable limits. The team at Aktiia are continuously evolving and improving the product, and it is hoped that in future, comparison with an arm cuff may not be required.
However, just because you have blood pressure data at your fingertips you still need to ensure that you still have regular health checks as part of a comprehensive health strategy, which includes blood pressure monitoring, with healthcare professionals.
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Conclusion: Accuracy That the Future of Healthcare Can Rely On
To sum up, the Aktiia blood pressure monitor is helping to reshape approaches to blood pressure monitoring and its accuracy has been rigorously tested to meet international standards. By adopting continuous monitoring, the Aktiia blood pressure monitoring device can offer a more comprehensive, nuanced, aggregated and accurate view compared to traditional methods. With the easy-to-use Aktiia device and app, patients can take proactive control of their health, improve disease management and their quality of life. So, as we move towards an era of personalised, connected and digitised healthcare, devices like the Aktiia solution will play an increasingly pivotal role.
Disclaimer: If you have hypertension and you plan to start blood pressure exercises, we encourage you to speak to your healthcare professional.
Sources
Beyond the Cuff: The History & Future of Blood Pressure Monitoring. Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/beyond-the-blood-pressure-cuff-the-history-future-of-blood-pressure-measurement (Accessed December 2024)
Aktiia 24/7 Blood Pressure Monitor. Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/blood-pressure-monitor (Accessed December 2024)
Proven accuracy, trusted technology. Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/evidence (Accessed December 2024)
A. Vybornova; E. Polychronopoulou; A. Wurzner-Ghajarzadeh; S. Fallet; J. Sola; G. Wuerzner (2021). Blood pressure from the optical Aktiia Bracelet: a 1-month validation study using an extended ISO81060-2 protocol adapted for a cuffless wrist device. Blood Pressure Monitoring, 26 (4), 305. https://doi.org/10.1097/MBP.0000000000000531
Aktiia’s wrist-mounted blood pressure monitor gains CE mark. Cardiovascular news. https://cardiovascularnews.com/aktiias-wrist-mounted-blood-pressure-monitor-gains-ce-mark (Accessed December 2024)
Join the Dots: Sleep, Blood Pressure, Health, and Wellbeing. Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/blood-pressure-at-night (Accessed December 2024)
The Morning Surge. Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/morning-high-blood-pressure (Accessed December 2024)
How accurate is Aktiia? Aktiia. https://support.aktiia.com/en/support/solutions/articles/80000901722-how-accurate-is-aktiia (Accessed December 2024)
What’s the Best Time to Take Your Blood Pressure? Aktiia. https://aktiia.com/uk/best-time-to-take-blood-pressure (Accessed December 2024)
J. Sola; D. Perruchod; M. Cortes; J. Pandit; M. D. Lobo; G. Wuerzner; N. D. Fisher; J. Shah (2022). Abstract P304: Persistent Use Of Aktiia 24/7 Blood Pressure Monitor Is Associated With Lower Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Patients. Hypertension, 70, 1. https://doi.org/10.1161/hyp.79.suppl_1.P304
Tim D. Wilkie
I have been asked to comment in TrustPilot but I don’t subscribe. However, here is my comment and you can publish if it helps:
A huge breakthrough in medical technology. It would be good if the wrist unit could be smaller, with stylish bracelets and also do O2 measurements like the Apple Watch. My nephrologist, Professor Hugh Gallagher who is part of the Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic with whom Akitta have an association, seemed to be happy with the Akitta readings rather than a 24 Hour Doctor BP reading. Has any research been done in the correlation between the Akitta cuff reading and the bracelet reading. If the cuff reading is high at the time of pairing with the bracelet then is that used as the norm : so if the cuff reading is low (having taken BP tablets say 90 minutes before), then is the that low reading the norm. What are the optimum conditions when the cuff reading should be taken to pair with the bracelet?
Steve Sinnott
I’m very interested in this device, i have white coat syndrome big time, plus i have hyper coagulation.
I’m sure that my blood pressure needs to be a bit higher than the generic norm.
I have had 24 hour cuff measurements which were closer to a regular BP . But going into a Dr’s
or hospital and the scare dialogue always produces a high reading.
Yet when i have had one of those top quality eye checkups the Ophthalmologist has told me that i have zero thread capillary damage which is common with high blood pressure, so i would welcome a device which gives a more accurate overall reading for someone like me. Regards Steve Sinnott