CardioX AI powered app takes a big step in cuffless blood pressure monitoring

CardioX has found an effective method to monitor blood pressure without an inflatable cuff. You can get accurate measurements, simply by connecting your Apple Watch or other ECG-enabled timepiece to the CardioX AI powered iOS or Android app.

Nearly half of adults in the United States (47%, or 116 million) suffer from hypertension. This is defined as systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg. It also includes those who are taking medication for hypertension.

In 2019, more than half a million deaths in the United States had hypertension as a primary or contributing cause. A number of clinical studies have shown that aggressive blood pressure management (lowering systolic bp to less than 120 mm/Hg) dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease and many accompanying health conditions. However, the only way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to measure it regularly in different conditions and at different times throughout the day.

Blood pressure monitoring, as a strategy to minimise adverse health issues, should be accessible and available to not only hypertension patients, but to anyone who wants to lead a healthier lifestyle. With so many recent advancements in the consumer health and wellness industry, it is still very challenging to get accurate readings on the go or without a traditional home blood pressure monitor.

New solution on the go – the CardioX app

But things are about to change with the launch of an innovative mobile app – CardioX. The team behind the app found an effective method to monitor blood pressure without an inflatable cuff. You can now get accurate blood pressure readings via the AI powered software. All you need is a wearable device with ECG capability and your smartphone.

The application is available to download from the App Store and Google Play Store. The software is free.

The CardioX professional team includes experts with decades of experience in the fields of medicine, engineering, mathematics, and programming. Their app was designed around much-hyped ECG recording capabilities of the Apple Watch and leading Android-based fitness devices such as Galaxy Watch, along with Kardia and Fitbit Sense. The startup found an innovative way to help prevent hypertension related diseases through this new method of measuring blood pressure.

How to take blood pressure readings

A powerful neural network and extensive database of clinical records allow estimating blood pressure readings accurately, simply by using an ECG recorded by a smartwatch or fitness tracker. The startup says, the efficiency of this method is supported by the large number of real patient records that they have collected over time.

To obtain your measurements:

1. Download and open the iOS or Android CardioX app.
2. Create an account when prompted. You’ll receive an email to confirm your address.
3. Add personal information to finish creating your profile. It is important to include accurate info as this will be used to estimate your heart health metrics.
4. Now it is time to import your ECG readings. This is done from your health monitoring app by clicking the share button and choosing to export the individual ECG file to Cardio X.
5. It is recommended that you calibrate the app after the first ECG import. For maximum accuracy you should take three measurements with a traditional blood pressure cuff and enter the average reading. This is a one-time process, although you do have the option to recalibrate whenever you want.

You will then be able to view blood pressure readings taken at the same time as the ECG, as well as a number of individual metrics, such as gender, age, physical health, etc. This essential data is the key to providing the most accurate, personalised blood pressure estimates to CardioX mobile app users.

But that’s not all. You’ll also get info on your heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and a few other HRV-derived metrics such as levels of productivity, energy and stress. What’s more, the HRV metric is separated into its constitutive elements in a separate section of the app. Simply click on any parameter to find out its meaning. Check out the video below this article for a detailed walkthrough.

How does the CardioX app work?

The CardioX application estimates real time blood pressure by applying machine learning algorithms to a short ECG interval. The process of selecting data and creating machine learning models starts with the basic processing of the existing data.

First, all irrelevant and questionable records are eliminated. Then, all noise from ECG signals is removed and isoline is straightened. Lastly, the cleaned up ECG signals are used to develop machine learning models for the neural network. Along with patients’ individual metrics, like age and gender, CardioX models use over 50 other parameters that were calculated during ECG signal analysis.

Based on the statistics, misdiagnosed illnesses and medical errors accounted for 10% of all US deaths. In light of that, AI provides a promising direction in improving the diagnostic process in healthcare settings. Incomplete medical histories and large caseloads can often lead to deadly human errors. AI is unaffected by these factors and can predict and diagnose the disease at a faster rate than most medical professionals

CardioX says it was founded with the mission to improve the quality of life of people dealing with blood pressure connected conditions. But mainly to help prevent any future risk of health issues by providing innovative tools and technologies to consumers and healthcare providers.

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