A gadget implanted in the leg could carry out
round-the-clock checks on blood pressure. The implant, no bigger than a grain
of rice, monitors readings 30 times a second and transmits the results to a
handset worn on the patient's belt. This can then be plugged into a computer to
send the results to the doctor. The device, developed by scientists at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems in Germany, could be more
accurate and convenient than current methods.
High blood pressure - also called hypertension - is one of
the major risk factors for heart attack and stroke, and affects one in five
people in the UK.
Clinical guidelines state the ideal limit for blood pressure
is 140mmHg over 85mmHg. But because readings can vary throughout the day,
patients often have to undergo ambulatory monitoring.
This involves wearing an inflatable cuff on the arm for 24
hours. The cuff expands every 20 minutes during the day and hourly at night to
take a reading. Many patients find this uncomfortable.
The implant, which is placed inside an artery in the groin
under local anaesthetic, can be removed by doctors after diagnosis. Measuring
1mm in diameter, it can perform thousands of checks every hour, giving the
doctor an accurate indication of a patient's heart attack risk
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