Apple introduced a new feature that alerts users to signs of chronic high blood pressure, expanding the Apple Watch’s role in heart health monitoring.
The notifications use the optical heart sensor to analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat. An algorithm reviews data over 30-day periods and alerts the user if it detects consistent signs of hypertension.
Apple said the feature was trained on data from more than 100,000 participants and validated in a clinical study of over 2,000 people. The company expects regulatory clearance soon, with rollout in more than 150 countries this month.
“Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of heart attack and stroke, yet millions remain undiagnosed,” said Dr. Harlan Krumholz, cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. “Making accurate detection easy and part of daily life can help people get care earlier and prevent avoidable harm.”
Apple Watch already includes the ECG app, which generates an electrocardiogram to check for atrial fibrillation, and the Heart Rate app, which provides continuous monitoring along with high and low heart rate notifications. Irregular rhythm alerts are also available.
Hypertension notifications will be supported on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, including Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, with watchOS 26.
Easy-to-use and reliable blood pressure monitoring has been a holy grail for digital health wearables. Over the summer, Aktiia won the first FDA 510(k) clearance for over-the-counter use of a cuffless blood pressure monitor, the G0 Blood Pressure Monitoring System (branded as the Hilo Band). (Wondering if your blood pressure monitor is reliable enough? The American Medical Association supports a validated blood pressure device database that is available online.)
More on Medical Design & Outsourcing: How Aktiia developed the Hilo Band, the first FDA-cleared OTC cuffless blood pressure monitor
