Huawei has introduced a smartwatch that inflates around the wrist to collect accurate blood pressure readings, similar to how a doctor’s office cuff inflates around the arm.
The new Huawei Watch D, which is being demonstrated this week at IFA 2022 in Berlin, includes an airbag that progressively inflates around the wrist.
Blood pressure is a vital sign of general health, but it can be changed by the so-called “white coat effect” when measured by a doctor.
This is where our blood pressure increases little when we visit the doctor, due to a slight increase in anxiety caused by being in a clinical environment.
By measuring their blood pressure at home, Huawei Watch D users can avoid the “white coat” effect and obtain accurate readings.
Huawei Watch D will be introduced to the European market as a recognized medical gadget, allowing consumers to rely on its data.
Beginning in October, it will be available for purchase from the Huawei Store in the United Kingdom for £400.
Huawei states that the device’s ‘tensile strap, ergonomically-arced airbag, and butterfly clasp’ are all meant to remain stable during inflation to ‘impromptu blood pressure readings’
Users need to wear the watch for one minute while maintaining a motionless arm while the strap progressively inflates and tightens around the wrist.
The display of the watch provides systolic and diastolic pressure readings in color-coded categories – low, normal, pre-hypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension – every minute.
The systolic value indicates the greatest blood pressure, whilst the diastolic reading shows the minimum blood pressure.
Even a single arm with a high systolic reading can raise the risk of stroke, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease.
Huawei Watch D can also perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) test, which can be used to examine the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart; however, pacemakers and other implanted medical devices should not be utilized with this capability.
Users need to hold their finger against a sensor module on the side of the watch for 30 seconds to perform the ECG test.
The ECG findings for MailOnline were also “normal,” but the watch informed me that “this information is for reference only and should not be used to make a medical diagnosis.”
In addition to sleep monitoring, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, skin temperature detection, and stress monitoring, the Huawei Watch D feature over 70 exercise modes.
