Solar-Powered Blood Pressure Device for Low-Resource Settings

Novel solar powered blood pressure (BP) monitoring devices will allow nonphysician health workers to help to better control BP in low- and middle-income countries.

The Omron HEM-SOLAR monitors include two blood pressure monitors, a manual upper-arm, and automatic upper-arm model. Both are charged by exposure to sunlight through the solar panel at the back of the product. After 4 hours of direct exposure to sunlight, the manual model can take more than 100 readings, while the automatic model can take 28 readings; when fully charged the automatic machine can be used over 100 times. Wherever sunlight is available, the monitors facilitate easy readings, regardless of proximity to an electrical supply source.


Among the features of the devices are a large 3-fold display (Systolic BP, Dialostic BP, and Pulse), and operation via a solar charged battery, an AC adapter, or standard batteries. A standard cuff is included, and additional small or large cuff are available as optional accessories. The HEM-SOLAR blood pressure monitors are environmentally conscious, and use rechargeable batteries, not regular batteries, to reduce waste and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2). Given the product's lifespan of 30,000 uses, the amount of waste materials that can be reduced is 80 batteries with the manual model and 400 batteries with the automatic model. Additionally, only 15 minutes of training of local healthcare staff resulted in a 94% accuracy rate of BP readings. The Omron HEM-SOLAR monitors are products of Omron (Kyoto, Japan), and comply with the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

"HEM-SOLAR monitors will allow health practitioners and individuals to take blood pressure readings wherever sunlight is available,” said Wayne Kerr of Medicins Sans Frontiers (Geneva, Switzerland). "It will become an essential piece of our kit, and all our Land Rover response vehicles will carry both manual and automatic models when they become available.”

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