2026-02-20
Arterial hypertension: radar blood pressure monitors for greater accuracy
Cardiology and Vascular Medicine
By Elodie Vaz | Published on February 20, 2026 | 3 min read
Arterial hypertension (AH) is the leading global cardiovascular risk factor, associated with ischemic heart disease, stroke, and renal failure. Despite its high prevalence and serious clinical consequences, the identification and monitoring of hypertension are hindered by intermittent and sometimes imprecise measurements obtained with traditional cuff-based devices.
Accurate blood pressure measurement is the cornerstone of hypertension screening, monitoring, and management. Conventional devices, such as cuff sphygmomanometers, are reliable but provide only point measurements and may be uncomfortable, limiting their use for continuous or ambulatory monitoring.
In response to the limitations of traditional methods, a review published on February 13, 2026, in The Lancet Digital Health explores the state of the art in cuffless radar-based blood pressure monitors: devices capable of estimating blood pressure contactlessly, continuously, and potentially in a less intrusive manner than conventional techniques.
The main objective was to assess whether radar-based technologies (notably millimeter-wave radars) provide sufficient accuracy to measure blood pressure comparably to current clinical standards, while being suitable for everyday or long-term use.
Evaluation of cuffless radar technologies
A search was conducted across multiple bibliographic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, medRxiv, bioRxiv) to identify relevant publications on radar technologies applied to blood pressure measurement from January 1990 to August 2024. Inclusion criteria required studies comparing radar devices with standard cuff-based reference methods. A total of 23 articles meeting eligibility criteria were included in the synthesis.
The analyzed technologies rely on electromagnetic waves (including millimeter-wave radar) to remotely capture physiological signals related to pulse activity or pulse wave propagation. These signals are then processed using physics-based algorithms or machine learning approaches to derive systolic and diastolic pressure estimates without direct contact.
A precise, non-invasive monitoring device
The review reports that:
Clinical evidence still limited
However, important challenges remain. Most studies were conducted on small sample sizes, in controlled environments, and often in individuals without severe hypertension. The heterogeneity of experimental protocols and the lack of universal validation standards make it difficult to definitively assess the clinical performance of these systems.
Read next : Hypertension: a new threshold, a new challenge
About the author – Elodie Vaz Health journalist, graduated from the CFPJ in 2023, Élodie explores the marks that illnesses leave on bodies and, more broadly, on human life. A state-registered nurse since 2010, she spent twelve years at patients’ bedsides before trading her stethoscope for a notebook. She now examines the connections between environment and health, convinced that the vitality of life cannot be reduced to that of humans alone.
Arterial hypertension (AH) is the leading global cardiovascular risk factor, associated with ischemic heart disease, stroke, and renal failure. Despite its high prevalence and serious clinical consequences, the identification and monitoring of hypertension are hindered by intermittent and sometimes imprecise measurements obtained with traditional cuff-based devices.
Accurate blood pressure measurement is the cornerstone of hypertension screening, monitoring, and management. Conventional devices, such as cuff sphygmomanometers, are reliable but provide only point measurements and may be uncomfortable, limiting their use for continuous or ambulatory monitoring.
Limitations of intermittent measurements
In response to the limitations of traditional methods, a review published on February 13, 2026, in The Lancet Digital Health explores the state of the art in cuffless radar-based blood pressure monitors: devices capable of estimating blood pressure contactlessly, continuously, and potentially in a less intrusive manner than conventional techniques.
The main objective was to assess whether radar-based technologies (notably millimeter-wave radars) provide sufficient accuracy to measure blood pressure comparably to current clinical standards, while being suitable for everyday or long-term use.
Evaluation of cuffless radar technologies
A search was conducted across multiple bibliographic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, medRxiv, bioRxiv) to identify relevant publications on radar technologies applied to blood pressure measurement from January 1990 to August 2024. Inclusion criteria required studies comparing radar devices with standard cuff-based reference methods. A total of 23 articles meeting eligibility criteria were included in the synthesis.
The analyzed technologies rely on electromagnetic waves (including millimeter-wave radar) to remotely capture physiological signals related to pulse activity or pulse wave propagation. These signals are then processed using physics-based algorithms or machine learning approaches to derive systolic and diastolic pressure estimates without direct contact.
A precise, non-invasive monitoring device
The review reports that:
- Radar systems can detect submillimeter vibrations linked to cardiac activity that correlate with blood pressure.
- Several prototypes achieve encouraging laboratory accuracy, with mean errors below or close to generally accepted clinical thresholds (for example, errors comparable to those of validated cuffless methods).
- Studies differ in signal processing methods, algorithms used, and populations studied, complicating direct comparisons between devices.
Clinical evidence still limited
However, important challenges remain. Most studies were conducted on small sample sizes, in controlled environments, and often in individuals without severe hypertension. The heterogeneity of experimental protocols and the lack of universal validation standards make it difficult to definitively assess the clinical performance of these systems.
Read next : Hypertension: a new threshold, a new challenge
About the author – Elodie Vaz Health journalist, graduated from the CFPJ in 2023, Élodie explores the marks that illnesses leave on bodies and, more broadly, on human life. A state-registered nurse since 2010, she spent twelve years at patients’ bedsides before trading her stethoscope for a notebook. She now examines the connections between environment and health, convinced that the vitality of life cannot be reduced to that of humans alone.
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