-- First-ever Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring System for
24-7 Use Now Available in the United
Kingdom
-- Aktiia's clinically validated Optical Blood Pressure
Monitoring technology estimates blood pressure accurately,
automatically, and painlessly, by analyzing signals from the
wearer's wrist
NEUCHATEL, Switzerland,
Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Aktiia today announced the first 24-7, automated blood
pressure monitoring system that easily and comfortably gathers data
during the day and while sleeping. This groundbreaking medical
innovation will now provide people and their physicians
comprehensive insights into blood pressure patterns that will
better inform the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Now
available for sale in the United
Kingdom, Aktiia has received its CE Mark as a Class IIa
medical device - signifying that the device has been assessed to
meet high safety, health and environmental protection requirements
in Europe. With the CE Mark,
Aktiia now has access to over 40 countries worldwide.
See a video of the Aktiia product HERE.
Millions of people worldwide are at risk for severe health
complications and death due to untreated or uncontrolled
hypertension. The average person with hypertension measures their
blood pressure only once per week due to the inconvenience and
discomfort associated with a traditional cuff. Aktiia is the first
product to automatically measure blood pressure over the course of
hours, days and weeks without any effort required by the wearer.
The data is then visualized in a free companion application, and
with a simple click, a digital summary can be easily shared with a
physician or family member.
The core technology was first developed at the prestigious Swiss
Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). Aktiia was then
founded in 2018 by Dr. Mattia
Bertschi and Dr. Josep Sola.
Aktiia's team has some of the world's leading scientific and
technical experts in optical blood pressure monitoring, including
CTO, Dr. Josep Sola, a pioneer in
cuffless blood pressure monitoring and editor of "The Handbook of
Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitoring." Aktiia has been validated in
multiple clinical studies across a diverse population of wearers in
multiple body positions. Aktiia's pivotal clinical trial was
conducted at University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) following
international standards of validation and enrolling participants
across a representative sample of age, BMI, and skin tone. Its
results have been peer reviewed and accepted for imminent
publication by the reference journal in the field: "Blood
Pressure Monitoring."
"Hypertension is the #1 cause of cardiovascular disease and
premature death worldwide," said Dr. Neil
Poulter, Professor of Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at
Imperial College London. "Accurate blood pressure measurement and
particularly 24/7 monitoring of blood pressure is increasingly
recognised as being important to improve the diagnosis and control
of raised blood pressure, thereby improving patient outcomes.
Tracking blood pressure over long periods, without alerting the
patient, represents a potential game changer in the diagnosis and
monitoring of hypertension."
How It Works
Aktiia's Optical Blood Pressure
Monitoring (OBPM) algorithms leverage optical sensors worn on the
wrist and provide blood pressure values using photoplethysmography
(PPG) to analyze the changing diameter of the arteries occurring at
each heartbeat. This optical measurement is done
automatically, so users are not aware and stressed, and do not have
to interrupt their day or their sleep to take a measurement.
"With cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death
across the world, people need to better understand the impact of
their lifestyle choices and physicians need the ability to more
deeply understand blood pressure patterns so they can change the
way that they diagnose and treat people living with hypertension,"
said Mike Kisch, Aktiia CEO. "After
15 years in development and one million blood pressure readings,
Aktiia has cracked the code to bring to market the world's first
automated 24-7 blood pressure monitoring system."
Pricing & Availability
Aktiia is available to
pre-order in the UK starting on January 26,
2021. During the pre-order period, the limited time
promotional price will be £159 (inclusive of VAT and Free
Shipping), which includes the Aktiia Optical Bracelet, Mobile App
(available on iOS and Android), and Initialization Cuff. This
represents a 20% discount off the standard price of £199. Pre-order
customers will also receive free ongoing access to the Aktiia 24/7
blood pressure monitoring service, which is normally an £8.99/month
subscription fee after the first year.
About Aktiia
Founded in Switzerland in May
2018 out of a passion to turn insights into action in the
fight against hypertension, Aktiia's groundbreaking medical
technology provides people and their physicians comprehensive
insights into blood pressure patterns that will inform the
diagnosis and management of hypertension. Now available in the
United Kingdom, Aktiia has
received its CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device - signifying
that the device has been assessed to meet high safety, health and
environmental protection requirements in Europe. To learn more, visit Aktiia.com.
Press kit available at uk.aktiia.com/mediakit