A device that monitors blood pressure by shining light along the skin could be available in the next few months.
The movement of the light beams changes in response to the pressure in the blood vessels — the device analyses these tiny changes to calculate blood pressure. An initial study showed it is more accurate than the traditional cuffs, and it is now being compared with the gold standard hospital blood pressure test in a new NHS trial.
A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mmHg. The first number — the systolic reading — is the pressure when your heart contracts; the second is the diastolic, the pressure when your heart rests between beats.
