The Next Blood Pressure Breakthrough: Temporary Tattoos

[Ashmita]

As scientists work on wearable technology that promises to revolutionize health care, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are reporting a big win in the pursuit of one highly popular target: a noninvasive solution for continuous blood pressure monitoring at home. Not only that, but this development comes in the surprising form of a temporary tattoo. That's right: Just like the kind that children like to wear.

[Dev Narayan]

@ashmita At-home blood pressure monitors have been around for many years now. They work just like the blood pressure machines doctors use at their office: You place your arm inside a cuff, press a button, feel a squeeze on your arm, and get a reading. While results from this method are accurate, they are also just a moment in time. Our blood pressure can vary greatly throughout the day — especially among people who have labile hypertension, where blood pressure changes from one extreme to the other. So, looking at point-in-time readings is a bit like focusing on a few dots inside of a pointillism painting — one might miss the bigger picture.