Swiss Company Seeking FDA OK for Smartphone-Based Blood Pressure App

Leman Micro Devices is readying a sensor and app designed to measure blood pressure and other vital signs for submission to the Food and Drug Administration and other global regulatory agencies, it said in a Thursday announcement. Leman uses the Riva-Rocci technique to measure blood pressure, but instead of using a cuff on the arm the app tells users how hard to push their finger against a sensor built into a smartphone, said the company. It said the sensor also gives “medically-accurate” readings of body temperature, blood oxygen saturation and heart and respiration rates, and the five measurements are performed in under 60 seconds. The system differs from current wearables that “are not approved and often inaccurate,” said the Switzerland-based company. The app and sensor require factory installation, CEO Mark-Eric Jones emailed us, and the sensor would replace the existing heart rate and blood oxygen sensors in some smartphones. In addition to noncontact measurement of body temperature, the infrared thermometer can be used to check temperature of wine, hot drinks and other objects without touching them, he said. The company will submit the app to the FDA later this year, it said.