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.
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.
The
integration of cuffless radar blood pressure monitors represents a potentially
significant advance in continuous, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, with
possible benefits for early detection, risk stratification, and therapeutic
adjustment in hypertension.
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.
