| Apple is planning to launch a high blood pressure feature on its newest watch. |
| The feature, which uses 30-day background data collected by the watch to identify patterns, is currently waiting for FDA clearance, but Apple expects it to be available in September. The company anticipates finding 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension in the first year of the feature, Sumbul Desai, vice president of health at Apple said during the event. |
| It’s a big advancement wearable makers have been wanting to make for years. Companies like Samsung have been racing Apple to pull this off. Being able to tell someone their blood pressure based on wrist readings — and not a blood pressure cuff — could lead
to more detection, and prevent serious health issues like heart attack and stroke. |
| But the stakes are high to get it right. |
| That was apparent in July, when the FDA sent wearable maker Whoop a warning letter over its blood pressure tracker, telling the company that "providing blood pressure estimation is not a low-risk function" because an error could have significant consequences for the user. (Whoop said at the time that it planned to fight the FDA over the
decision.) |
| I’ve been fascinated with the push wearables have been making from wellness into health. It’s been years since I tested an Apple Watch, and I’ve still not committed to a wearable yet. Features like blood pressure monitoring might start to persuade me — but I think I'm still waiting for my doctor to tell me they'd find that data useful. |
| - Lydia |
P.S. - Have you signed up for our Health Tech Day on Nov. 6 yet? You can still get tickets to our virtual event, or if you’re in NYC that day, we’d love to see you at our happy hour. A ticket gets you an open bar, snacks and a conversation with Maven CEO Kate Ryder. Get yours here. |
