Taking your blood pressure in the middle of a crowded showroom at THOSE in Las Vegas is never a good idea, especially when you’re dehydrated and wearing a mask. But I had to try Valencell’s clamp blood pressure meter, announced at CES 2023, for me because I really, really want this to work for my own life. (For more on how the device works, read the story link above.)
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I have high blood pressure, take medication for it, and have been trying to find better solutions than a standard cuff for years. Nobody cracked it, really. Companies like Omron have made inflatable cuff watches (which work), and others have tried to turn heart rate sensors smart watch in blood pressure tools (which must be calibrated with an actual cuff).
The LED display shows your reading.
Scott Stein/CNET
Valencell, a company that’s been making optical heart rate sensors for wearables and other devices for years, has made its own device that’s targeting a 2023 release and is pursuing Food and Drug Administration clearance as a real strain. over-the-counter blood pressure. Solution.
I last met Valencell in person at the last CES I attended in January 2020. We spoken again in 2021, when it seemed like finger-measuring devices were at hand. As with many portable devices, the clearance process was slow. But it’s the closest product to release I’ve seen from the company.
Take my blood pressure at #THOSE with @Valencell_Inc finger monitor, does not need calibration. Aims for release later this year. No pulse beef for this, just BP. Yikes on reading BP! (it got better when I breathed and tested again). No pressure, right? pic.twitter.com/eJ13vyAlwD
— Scott Stein (@jetscott) January 4, 2023
The clip, which looks a lot like a small, wearable pulse oximetry device you might use to check blood oxygen, just needs your middle finger for a spot check that measures blood pressure and connects to an app on your telephone.
The device is easy to use and looks like a pulse oximeter.
Scott Stein/CNET
It doesn’t do pulse oximetry, though, for a reason: According to company co-founder Stephen LeBouef, who guided me through my test, the combination of health features on a single device slows down the customs clearance process. To date, no company has emerged with a clear next-gen blood pressure sensor on watches or wearables, although Samsung has tried to come close. Rather than embedding the technology on another consumer product and then submitting to clearance, Valencell is just getting the ball rolling on its own.
Look at this:
Valencell reveals finger blood pressure monitor
2:12
My blood pressure reading was, well, high. It improved on the second reading. First, I was dehydrated, tired, stressed, and wearing a mask, which can increase blood pressure readings. However, I did not have a blood pressure cuff with me to compare reading results.
Valecell’s technology requires a profile setup that uses your height and weight to define how the algorithms interpret PPG (photoplethysmography, or the use of light to measure blood flow) as blood pressure measurements. The only downside mentioned by LeBouef is that elevated blood pressures may not be read correctly: after a systolic pressure reading of 180 (which is very high, meaning you should see a cardiologist immediately), blood pressure-specific readings beyond may not be as accurate. But at that point, you would theoretically know that your blood pressure was still high.
A look inside the prototype: A single PPG sensor manages the measurement.
Scott Stein/CNET
Valencell is aiming for around $99 for the price, although the prototype I used is still under development and things could change. It’s higher than some existing inflatable armbands, but not as high as I expected.
It’s much more portable than an armband, and if it works as promised, it could be a big help. It’s more like a device you’d use to check in and track with a cuff reading to confirm. But if that meant more spot checks than I normally do with my own inflatable armband, that alone might be worth it.
The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.
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