Apple Watch Series 10 rumored to offer limited blood pressure monitoring

AppleInsider

A new report expects a kind of blood-pressure monitoring feature to be added to the Apple Watch Series 10, but there is an important caveat to that claim.

Apple has been working on what many call the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring for years. The addition of these features would help tackle two of the most common medical conditions that need frequent monitoring: high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said that "all signs point to the new Apple Watch gaining a blood-pressure checker this fall" in his latest report. However, the first iteration is not likely to give exact readings.

Gurman believes the next new Apple Watch, potentially to be called the Apple Watch X for its 10th edition, will include a new hardware sensor that can detect trends in blood pressure. That said, this first iteration will likely only alert users for upward trending in blood pressure, rather than offer exact readings.

Because it requires a new sensor, this feature will not be available on earlier models of Apple Watch. Another rumored improvement would be a built-in ability to monitor for sleep apnea.

Multiple reports from Bloomberg dating back to late 2023 made claims about the inclusion of blood pressure monitoring in the 2024 Apple Watch. Gurman's latest report offers no real extra detail about its capabilities beyond the arrival in the fall.

Aside from blood pressure, the forthcoming new Watch model may also be thinner, and might sport a new band-attachment system that also takes up less space.

Rumor Score: Possible

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quakerotis

your graphic accompanying this story is a lie

ralphie

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

tht

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said that "all signs point to the new Apple Watch gaining a blood-pressure checker this fall" in his latest report. However, the first iteration is not likely to give exact readings.

What’s this mean? It will only give a “high, medium or low” reading?

BP measurements using wrist cuffs or arm cuffs aren’t the most accurate to begin with. Lots of issues with just putting on the cuffs the same, repeating. 

So, for BP, wonder if it will involve a pressurizing band?

eightzero

Hoo boy, I sure hope this doesn't infringe the patent I have on blood pressure sensors in things. Or the ones I have on sensing things with other things.

jbdragon

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

It's invasive as in having to prick your finger to get blood to take a real reading.  Non-Invasive is not having to do that.  There are a few patches you can get these days, but it is still invasive, but you leave the needle in guess, and safe for a number of days?   I'm not an expert in this area.  Even that would be invasive.  

ralphie

jbdragon said:

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

It's invasive as in having to prick your finger to get blood to take a real reading.  Non-Invasive is not having to do that.  There are a few patches you can get these days, but it is still invasive, but you leave the needle in guess, and safe for a number of days?   I'm not an expert in this area.  Even that would be invasive.  

There’s no need to extract blood to get BP (as the article eluded to).

macgui

jbdragon said:

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

It's invasive as in having to prick your finger to get blood to take a real reading.  Non-Invasive is not having to do that.  There are a few patches you can get these days, but it is still invasive, but you leave the needle in guess, and safe for a number of days?   I'm not an expert in this area.  Even that would be invasive.  

Cleary. What ralphie said.

daven

I'm amazed at the  number of anti-Apple posts on the various Apple news sites. They are almost always the first posts and flood the boards. It is as if it is a coordinated effort.

DaleCannon

jbdragon said:

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

It's invasive as in having to prick your finger to get blood to take a real reading.  Non-Invasive is not having to do that.  There are a few patches you can get these days, but it is still invasive, but you leave the needle in guess, and safe for a number of days?   I'm not an expert in this area.  Even that would be invasive.  

Yeah, my doctor jambs one of the those tire pressure stick thingies into the end of my finger, it hurts like hell. It shows 100psi. Then after I'm all bleeding out, he checks it again, and it shows 60psi, so he tells me I'm 100 over 60, which is supposed to be pretty good.....

rivertrip

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

There is only one holy grail.

This is typical for AI. An editor would make the site better, and eventually the writers too.

inotrope

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

We routinely use invasive arterial blood pressure (IABP) during major surgery and on intensive care. A cannula is inserted into the artery (usually radial) and the pressure is measured via a Wheatstone bridge transducer (via a column of saline in a stiff-walled line). This gives a continuous arterial pressure waveform and allows us to measure BP and surrogates of cardiac function and take a range of blood tests of lung and metabolic function.

The watch thing sounds cool though. However it works - shape/amplitude of the photoplethysmograph waveform prehaps?

chasm

ralphie said:

Poorly written article at best.. “the "holy grails" of non-invasive blood pressure”.  Since when has blood pressure measurement been invasive?!  Maybe the author should look for a new physician.

You're 100 percent right that it was not correct to lump that in with blood glucose monitoring, which is invasive.

But while a BP cuff isn't INVASIVE, it's UNCOMFORTABLE.

If Apple can invent a way to detect blood pressure -- even without specific numbers, just up/down trends -- without having to wear a cuff, I think you'll agree that would be a major Good Thing.