Researchers have developed a device to measure pressure in the largest artery in the body. More accurate than the arm cuff, the technology works by a sensor in the watch recording the pulse wave of the artery, which is then fed into a computer together with a traditional blood pressure reading from a cuff. Scientists are then able to read the pressure close to the heart, from the aorta. Professor Bryan Williams from the University of Leicester says, "Unless we measure the pressure in the aorta we are not getting an appreciation of the risks or benefits of treatment. This device could change the way blood pressure has been monitored for more than a century."
