PyrAmes provides wearable blood pressure monitoring devices that are non-invasive, continuous, comfortable, wireless, and easy-to-use to enable more timely and personalized treatment for patients of all ages.

Blood pressure (BP) is a critical biomarker for many medical conditions that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. For example, tighter BP control can lead to better outcomes for the 100M American adults who suffer from hypertension and the 20M patients who require major surgery each year. Other situations requiring frequent BP measurements include critical or emergency care, home medical management for stroke or cardiac patients, and monitoring of pregnant women at risk of hypertension disorders of pregnancy such as preeclampsia. These are all large markets in their own right.

Inflatable cuffs such as those used during doctors’ appointments are suitable for intermittent measurements. They can be time consuming and difficult to self-administer. Frequent measurement with automated cuff devices (ABPMs) is recommended by the AHA and other organizations to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension disorders. However, they are inconvenient and uncomfortable - even painful for some patients - and carry the risk of tissue damage. Despite their efficacy, ABPMs are prescribed for fewer than 1% of suspected hypertensives, and patients generally are unwilling to use them for more than 24h. Most important, intermittent measurements may not be sufficient for critical care where the status of a patient can change from minute to minute.

Continuous BP monitoring uses an invasive arterial line (IAL) inserted into the artery to directly measure changes in BP. Approximately 8 million IALs are placed annually in the US, but each placement carries the risk of serious complications such as infection, bleeding, blood clots, nerve damage, and amputation, particularly for children who have smaller arteries. Costs can be high, >$750 per patient due to the need for highly skilled medical staff and equipment. They are generally only used in ICUs due to the possibility of excessive bleeding and require maintenance to ensure patency.

PyrAmes has developed a comfortable and easy-to-use wearable device for continuous BP monitoring and management over long periods of time. It has been used successfully on patients ranging from newborns to adults over 89 years old. Our device provides timely data to treat patients at risk of rapid changes in BP which can lead to stroke or multiple organ failure, while removing the pain and risk of the current standards of care at lower cost and increased patient compliance. It offers the possibility of remote monitoring for caregivers.

Unlike other technologies under development, we use paper-thin capacitive sensors lightly contacting the skin that pick up a pulse waveform signal that correlates to arterial BP changes. Artificial intelligence models extract BP values that meet the FDA’s accuracy guidelines for non-invasive BP monitoring. In volume, our sensors can be manufactured using roll-to-roll processes and could be integrated into smartwatch bands. The electronics costs will be on the same order as low-end fitness bands which will encourage adoption of PyrAmes’ technology across a broad range of applications.