New Blood Pressure Monitor Boasts ECG Capability

A groundbreaking monitor intended for home use combines blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings in a single device.

The Omron Healthcare (Kyoto, Japan) Complete (HEM-7530T) is an upper arm BP monitor that allows users to simultaneously take a three-lead ECG reading by merely touching electrodes conveniently located on the top face and both side surfaces of the monitor. The Complete device was developed in partnership with AliveCor (San Francisco, CA, USA), and uses a new, advanced algorithm specifically designed for improved detection of the possibility of atrial fibrillation (AF).

After an ECG scan, Omron Complete will notify the user if AF has been detected. Using the smartphone Omron Connect App, the readings can then be stored, tracked, and shared with doctors, family and caregivers to provide deeper heart health insights. An easy-to-navigate, user-friendly interface that features an intuitive dashboard conveniently charts and graphs the data--making it viewable by day, week, month, or year--making it easy for users to keep close watch on heart health trends.

“Millions of Americans are living with atrial fibrillation and a stroke risk that is five times higher than average, and many others may not know they have this condition since it is difficult to diagnose,” said Randy Kellogg, president and CEO of Omron Healthcare. “Monitoring this condition and the risk it carries is part of our ‘Going for Zero’ mission. That's why Omron developed Complete as an accessible, easy-to-use, at-home solution to provide a more complete heart health picture and greater peace of mind.”

AF occurs when the heart's two upper chambers beat erratically. In one form, paroxysmal AF, patients have bouts of erratic beats that begin spontaneously and usually last less than a week. It can lead to serious adverse events such as thrombi traveling from the heart to obstruct arteries supplying the brain, causing stroke, or other parts of the body causing tissue damage.