If wanting to ward off a future stroke by keeping track of your blood pressure and heart health is something that resonates with you, you’ll want to check out two new offerings from Withings — the BPM Connect and the BPM Core.
From left to right: Withings BPM Connect and Withings BPM Core
Both devices look like a modern blood pressure cuff, which makes sense because that’s exactly what they are. But rather than visiting your doctor or a local drug store, the BPM Connect and the BPM Core allow you to take those measurements and more from your own home. They also sync perfectly with your Withings Health Mate app, so you (and your doctor) can see current and historical data. Both BPM models allow you to share and retrieve the systolic and diastolic values and heart rate information with Apple Health.
Withings BPM Connect
The Withings BPM Connect is an updated version of the classic Withings BPM; it is FDA cleared and CE compliant, and it provides an accurate heart rate reading as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.
With the BPM Connect, you won’t need to have your smartphone or tablet handy to see your results; your readings will show on the white part of the BPM Connect in an LED matrix. You’ll also be able to sync and save your results with the Withings Health Mate app. The BPM Connect’s display will also give you color-coded feedback: it will glow “green for normal, orange for moderate and red for high blood pressure.”
Starting today, you can get the $99.95 BPM Connect from Apple Stores, Apple.com, Withings.com and other retialers.
Withings BPM Core
The Withings BPM Core has the distinction of being the “first over-the-counter device able to measure blood pressure, record an electrocardiogram (ECG) and listen to the heart via a digital stethoscope in one device, enabling users to detect serious conditions such as atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease.”
If you are concerned about a future stroke, you no doubt know that atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a major risk factor. The BPM Core measures your blood pressure, heart rate, and your ECG, and it has an attached digital stethoscope to listen for heart abnormalities that can indicate damage to one of your heart’s four valves, providing early detection of valvular heart disease. It takes just 90 seconds to take heart rate, blood pressure and ECG readings with AFib detection when using the BPM Core, The readings are shown in an LED matrix on the white part of the cuff, but more importantly, those readings can be synced with the Health Mate app for you and your doctor to examine variances over time.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death. Withings BPM Core has been designed to empower people to manage and mitigate the risk of heart disease and is a powerful tool when considering:
• One-third of Americans suffer from hypertension, but only half effectively control their blood pressure despite uncontrolled blood pressure increasing the risk of congestive heart failure by 50%.
• People with high blood pressure have twice the risk of stroke compared with those with normal levels, and someone with AFib has five times the risk of stroke.
• The CDC estimates six million people in the U.S. have AFib, which is both an indication of heart disease and responsible for one-third of strokes.
Starting today, the €249.95 (£229.95) Withings BPM Core is available in Europe exclusively in Apple Stores and online at Apple.com and Withings.com; it will be available in the U.S. in a few months, following FDA clearance.
