CES 2019: Omron Healthcare Launches First Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor, Previews Breakthrough Monitor with EKG and New Digital Health Services

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Omron Healthcare is advancing its mission of Going for Zero™ heart attacks and strokes with breakthrough new heart health technology offerings at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The global market leader of personal heart health and wellness technology is launching its highly-anticipated HeartGuide, the first wearable blood pressure monitor, and previewing Complete – the first personal blood pressure monitor with EKG capability in a single device in the U.S. – along with new digital health services that can help save lives.

"There are 103 million hypertensive Americans¹ and, this year, Omron Healthcare will offer a range of devices tailored to serve every one of them," said Omron Healthcare, Inc. President and CEO Ranndy Kellogg. "More than 80 percent² of heart attacks and strokes are preventable with lifestyle changes. It all begins with regular blood pressure monitoring and achieving better insights into your heart health. This year, we are offering a greater range of products to keep closer watch on your heart health and advanced new digital health services that can help you take real-time action on your heart health numbers. This is how Omron is making its mission of Going for Zero a reality."

HeartGuide™

Omron's HeartGuide is the first wearable blood pressure monitor made in the convenient form of a wristwatch. Omron pioneered the wrist watch design and filed more than 80 new patents to create HeartGuide, which includes parts and technology that miniaturize the components for traditional oscillometric measurement.

The sleek, stylish device works in the same way that blood pressure cuffs at the doctor's office measure blood pressure -- via oscillometric technology, the FDA-recognized standard for accurate, automated blood pressure measurement. HeartGuide uses an inflatable cuff within the watch band to take a blood pressure reading, a key differentiator that sets this device apart from other wearables that rely on sensor technology, which only provide blood pressure estimates.

HeartGuide can hold up to 100 readings in memory and all data can be transferred to a new corresponding mobile app, HeartAdvisor™, which is launching with the retail arrival of HeartGuide. HeartAdvisor is an insights-driven digital service that will help users better understand their condition, build a more productive patient-to-physician dialogue and gain access to real-time heart health coaching to act on their heart health numbers.

A typical user can expect to charge HeartGuide approximately 2-3 times per week, depending upon the frequency of use of HeartGuide's features. HeartGuide features a high-color transflective, backlit display that allows users to easily read their blood pressure measurements in any lighting and is also an innovative feature to conserve battery life.

Recent studies published in The Lancet medical journal show that regular self-monitoring of blood pressure can reduce stroke risk by up to 20 percent and cuts the risk of coronary artery disease by 10 percent³.

"It's important to know your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, depending on what you do. HeartGuide gives a user the ability to now take a reading anytime, anywhere, and helps provide insight into how your daily activities impact your health. That's an important evolution on the path toward saving lives," said Dr. James Rippe, noted cardiologist and author of Preventing & Reversing Heart Disease (for Dummies).

In addition to blood pressure, HeartGuide also has the functionality of a smartwatch, providing email, call and text notifications, and tracking for activity levels, such as steps, aerobic steps, calories burned and distance. HeartGuide also monitors sleep activity, including when the user gets into bed, when the user falls asleep, and detects a state of deep sleep or restless light sleep. All these factors come together to provide users with a more comprehensive picture of their heart health.

Omron Healthcare showcased the in-development device at CES 2018, and the retail-ready version of HeartGuide has recently received FDA clearance as a medical device and is available for purchase at OmronHealthcare.com beginning January 8, 2019.

Complete™

The new Omron Complete is the first blood pressure monitor with EKG capability in a single device in the U.S., for home and personal use. Complete works with the Omron Connect mobile app, allowing users to store, track and share their blood pressure and EKG readings with their doctor to gain more insights and improve treatment over time.

Omron developed Complete in partnership with AliveCor, the market leader in FDA-cleared EKG technology. Complete uses an advanced new algorithm for improved detection of atrial fibrillation (AFib). There are as many as six million Americans⁴ living with AFib, a condition that comes with a stroke risk five times higher⁵ than average.

"Having the ability to measure two important risk factors for stroke in one device provides those living with AFib a simple and more accessible way to keep track of their condition and know when to seek treatment. This kind of control can mean lower risk of stroke and greater peace of mind," said Kellogg.

The Omron Complete Blood Pressure Monitor + EKG is currently in FDA review and is targeted to arrive for retail purchase in early 2019.

New Digital Health Offerings

All Omron connected devices, including the Evolv® wireless upper-arm blood pressure monitor and Complete, work with the brand's proprietary smartphone app, Omron Connect. With Omron Connect, users can safely store their data, track it over time and share it with their doctor for greater insights.

Introduced exclusively with HeartGuide, the Omron HeartAdvisor mobile app and digital health service will allow users to input specific lifestyle activities that help build a clearer picture of how diet, exercise level and stress impact blood pressure readings. As the service rolls-out during the coming year, HeartAdvisor will add services, features and benefits, including deeper insights based on one's blood pressure readings, activity levels, sleep quality, heart rate, and other self-reported data points such as diet and lifestyle habits, and customized heart health coaching to act on this data. Personalized insights and recommendations from HeartAdvisor are designed to act as digital health coaching to help users adopt healthier habits and take meaningful action on their numbers. HeartAdvisor will be available on Apple iTunes and Google Play stores and upgraded with additional features throughout 2019.

Omron is also the first blood monitor brand to feature an interactive Amazon Alexa skill, accessible via the Omron Connect app. Those who use an Omron connected blood pressure monitor that pairs to Omron Connect can ask Alexa to connect with and open their app, locate and read back their latest blood pressure reading, calculate their average reading over a day/week/month, and compare readings across different dates and times of day. The Omron skill for Alexa can also call out higher-than-normal readings and provide guidelines and tips to ensure accurate blood pressure measurement. Those who use Alexa can also set reminders to learn to regularly monitor their blood pressure.

This suite of digital health offerings is designed to encourage regular monitoring and to teach heart health behaviors that can save lives. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 25.5 percent⁶ of Americans check their blood pressure at home at least once a month. HeartAdvisor allows users to build customized data, based on their daily activities and lifestyle habits, to get a better idea of how these factor into their blood pressure numbers.

Going for Zero™

Going for Zero is the Omron Healthcare company mission to eliminate heart attack and stroke, using a combination of breakthrough tech innovations, public education and positive behavior change. Since Going for Zero was introduced in 2016, Omron Healthcare has introduced new heart health technologies, launched a national education campaign, and formed partnerships with like-minded heart health organizations like AliveCor and the AHA.

For every visitor who checks into the Omron Healthcare Going for Zero booth at CES (#44022 in the Sands Expo Hall at the Venetian), Omron will donate a blood pressure monitor to the AHA for their national blood pressure management programs.

To learn more about the HeartGuide, Complete, HeartAdvisor app and the Going for Zero mission, please visit OmronHealthcare.com and follow Omron Healthcare on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Omron Healthcare, Inc.

Omron Healthcare, Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of personal heart health and wellness products. Its market-leading products include home blood pressure monitors and electrotherapy devices. Since Omron invented its first blood pressure monitors more than 40 years ago, the company has been passionate about empowering people to take charge of their health at home through precise technology. Omron is the number one doctor and pharmacist recommended brand of blood pressure monitors for home use. The company's mission is Going for Zero, the elimination of heart attacks and strokes. For more information, visit OmronHealthcare.com.

¹ http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/71/19/e127 
² https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/million-hearts/index.html 
³ https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(18)30309-X.pdf 
⁴ https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_atrial_fibrillation.htm 
⁵ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/AboutArrhythmia/High-Blood-Pressure-AFib-and-Your-Risk-of-Stroke_UCM_443852_Article.jsp#  
⁶ https://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/hypertension/americans-are-self-monitoring-blood-pressure-more-often-if-theyre-married

SOURCE Omron Healthcare, Inc.

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