Survey Indicates Greater Patient Preference for Aktiia's Cuffless Monitor Over Traditional Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Objective: Cuffless blood pressure (BP) monitors have the potential to improve hypertension management and facilitate remote BP monitoring. The success and long-term adoption of these devices will significantly depend on patient preferences and their perceptions of using such technology. In the present work, we report patients’ preferences regarding a continuous cuffless BP monitor and cuff-based ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) during a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program. Design and method: 63 subjects (NCT04548986, mean age 53.1±7.2 years, 21.2% female, arm circumference 29.0±2.5 cm) were enrolled in a 12-week CR program at RHNE – Réseau Hospitalier Neuchâtelois, Switzerland. Subjects wore a cuffless BP monitor (Aktiia SA, Switzerland) during the entire CR program, and conducted 24-h ABPM (Dyasis 3, Novacor, France) during the first and last days of CR. The analysis was conducted on experience surveys completed by subjects who successfully finished the CR program. Results: 57 subjects completed the CR program and filled the survey at the end of the program (Figure 1). From an open question for 3 adjectives regarding experience with the Aktiia monitor, the most cited terms were “discreet” (53% of the subjects), “light” (47%) and “comfortable” (28%), with more than 15% of the subjects describing it as “practical” and “pleasant”. For ABPM, the most cited terms were “bulky” (41%), “noisy” (26%) and “uncomfortable” (17%), with approximately 10% of subjects describing it as “embarrassing”, “unpleasant” and “heavy”. Nearly all subjects felt no discomfort when using the Aktiia monitor, and almost 90% of the subjects would repeat night measurements with Aktiia. Subjects were equally confident in the precision for both devices, and few subjects reported any disruption in their daily activities due to wearing Aktiia's bracelet. Conclusions: Among patients who used both the Akiia bracelet and ABPM and during the 12-weeks CR program, the vast majority found the cuffless monitor more convenient, more comfortable and with a similar perception of performance compared to ABPM. The results suggest that cuffless BP devices may facilitate continual 24-h BP monitoring compared to an ABPM setup and enhance patients’ adherence to BP monitoring.