According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) “nearly half of adults have high blood pressure (48.1%, 119.9 million).” High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to several serious health risks over time if left untreated. Some of the major risks include: heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, vision loss, aneurysm, cognitive decline, metabolic syndrome, and sexual dysfunction.
High blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it typically doesn’t show any noticeable symptoms, even though it can be causing significant damage to the body. Many people with high blood pressure may not feel unwell or notice anything unusual, which makes it easy to overlook or ignore. However, the damage it causes to the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other organs can be severe and sometimes irreversible if left untreated.
Again, according to the CDC, “in 2022, high blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of 685,875 deaths in the United States.” This is why it’s so important to monitor blood pressure regularly, especially since it can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication if caught early. A new tool for monitoring your blood pressure at home is the BPM Vision by Withings.
Withings is a French technology company specializing in the development and manufacturing of health technology products. It was founded in 2008 and has offices in France, United States, and Hong Kong. It’s product line includes smart watches with health sensors, smart scales, blood pressure monitors, a sleep monitor, and even a non-contact thermometer. Additionally, Withings integrates the data collected by their products with medical professionals so physicians can better manage their patient’s health. I’ve written several articles on Withings products including the Withings ScanWatch and the Withings Body Cardio Smart Scale.
I briefly wrote about the Withings BPM Vision in my article on Innovative Products at CES.
Withings has now supplied me with a BPM Vision so I can write a more detailed article on the product.
The Withings BPM Vision is a smart blood pressure monitor designed for easy and accurate home use. Its key features include:
- Clinical Accuracy: The Withings BPM Vision is FDA approved and provides medical-grade precision with validated measurements.
- Color-Coded Feedback: The BPM Vision immediately provides results with easily understood, color-coded indicators (green for safe, red for action needed).
- EasyTrack: The BPM Vision guides the user through the process of measuring their blood pressure on a 2.8” LCD color screen to assure accurate measurement.
- TripleTrust: Takes three consecutive readings for more reliable results. The time between measurements is adjustable.
- FlexiFit Cuff: Adjustable cuff for comfort and to assure accurate measurements, with both standard and extra-large sizes available.
- AutoSync+: The BPM Vision includes Wi-Fi connectivity for automatic syncing to the Withings app without needing your phone. Your data can optionally be shared with health care providers and family members.
- Long Battery Life: 1-year of battery life before recharging is necessary.
- Privacy: Withings protects their users’ privacy and complies with applicable privacy and personal data laws according to the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
These features aim to simplify blood pressure monitoring with precision and convenience.
Hands on with the Withings BPM Vision
Setup of the BPM Vision is very simple:
- Download the Withings app from your app store.
- Setup an account
- Go to the devices section of the app and press the + icon
- Select Blood Pressure Monitors from the list of device types
- Select BPM Vision from the list of blood pressure monitors
- Follow the on-screen instructions
Once setup is completed, Withings offers a series of guides to familiarize users with the product. This includes:
- A getting started guide that explains how to operate the BPM Vision
- A health monitoring guide that explains what blood pressure is, how to take blood pressure measurements properly, and how to view results in the app.
- A share guide that covers sharing your data with your doctor, sharing your data with relatives, and sharing the BPM Vision with other family members. If family members are already using other Withings devices that you own, they are automatically setup as a user of the BPM Vision. Otherwise, there is a button in the tutorial that will send them a link they can use to set themselves up as a BPM Vision user.
Understanding how to properly take blood pressure measurements is especially important as not following the proper procedure can result in inaccurate readings. One thing that is mentioned in the printed product guide, but not in the health monitoring guide in the app, is that you should sit quietly for 5 minutes before taking blood pressure measurements. Additionally, your feet should be flat on the floor and you should breathe slowly and steadily without speaking during the 5 minutes before and during the test.
Not following both the information in the health monitoring guide and the information in the printed product guide could cause erroneous blood pressure measurements that might result in inaccurately low blood pressure readings when treatment of hypertension is actually indicated, or being put on unnecessary medicine to control falsely elevated blood pressure readings. So read the app guides and the printed product guide carefully to assure your results are accurate.
It is exceptionally easy to take your blood pressure with the BPM Vision. You just:
- Press the power button to turn it on
- The users that are setup in the Withings app are shown on the BPM Vision’s display. Select the person whose blood pressure will be measured (there is also a guest selection if you are showing your BPM Vision to a friend).
- Select to begin measuring the person’s blood pressure.
At that point some brief instructions will be shown on the BPM Vision’s display. These include, for example, how to properly place the blood pressure cuff on the person’s arm and proper position of the arm on a table. Finally, the person’s blood pressure will be measured.
Once the measurement is complete, the systolic and diastolic measurements are displayed along with an arrow above a bar that goes from green, to yellow, to red. If the arrow is above the green portion of the bar your blood pressure is considered good and you are safe from health problems due to high blood pressure. If the arrow is above the yellow portion of the bar your blood pressure is considered moderately high and there is some risk of health problems due to high blood pressure. Finally, if the arrow is above the red portion of the bar your blood pressure is considered high and action is needed.
The BPM Vision then communicates with the Withings cloud and your blood pressure measurement will be available in the Withings app. In the app, you can view your blood pressure readings and view a graph of your blood pressure over time. Finally, you can create a PDF of your data that can privately be shared with your doctor, health coach, or relatives.
Overall, I found that like other Withings home health devices, the BPM Vision is a well-designed product that makes managing your health simple.
