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A Smart Ecosystem of Cardiac Wellness

With the rising prevalence of obesity leading to cardiovascular diseases, technology has come to the rescue for patients. OMRON has created an environment that promotes heart care through its technologically advanced devices

One of the most important, and highly debated, elements of our society is the quality of healthcare available to patients. And, undeniably, a driving force behind quality healthcare is the adoption of technology that enables clinicians to provide better patient care. Technology has enabled us to store, share and analyse health information, increasing patient access while improving the quality of life for some patients. One such area is blood pressure monitoring to reduce the risks of heart problems.

Risk of obesity leading to cardiac issues

In the face of rising technological advancements in healthcare, there are certain areas which need to be scrutinised more deeply due to their effects on other aspects of our health. One such disease is obesity, a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. Did you know that your risk of high blood pressure increases with each kilo gained? This is why maintaining a healthy body weight can help you prevent hypertension — a condition that raises your chances of getting heart attacks and strokes.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the prevalence of obesity has increased over the last few decades reaching epidemic proportions. Obesity is a serious concern in the UAE, with a prevalence rate of 27.8 per cent according to the National Health Survey 2017-2018. The Gulf countries are ranked among the top 40 countries in the world for high prevalence in obesity rate.

When you gain weight, your body produces more tissue and hence, a higher volume of blood. Thus, the more weight you gain, the stiffer your arteries become. In order to pump a higher volume of blood through veins that are less flexible, your heart needs to make more effort, thereby increasing your blood pressure.

Your blood pressure changes all the time, and that’s normal. To see real progress, you need to track results over time and identify which situations make your blood pressure rise and what’s the impact of your weight on your blood pressure readings.

Managing your blood pressure and weight together with OMRON’s connected blood pressure monitors and smart scales offers the best opportunity to prevent hypertension. Keeping a healthy heart is all about maintaining a routine. Plus, regularly tracking blood pressure and weight together is a great way to positively impact your heart health and understand what makes you tick.

OMRON EVOLV

Keep your blood pressure in control at all times

The latest research has proven that self-monitoring might contribute to a decrease in blood pressure (BP) levels as it improves treatment compliance. However, most people do not measure their BP as frequently as necessary because it can be time-consuming.

Committed to improving people’s lives, OMRON Healthcare provides clinically proven, innovative medical equipment for health monitoring and therapy. With over 200 million BP monitors sold worldwide, OMRON Healthcare is the market leader in digital BP monitors for both home and professional use.

As a shining example of technology coming to the rescue, EVOLV is the all-in-one blood pressure monitor that alleviates the burdens of BP monitoring at every step of the measurement. It’s fast, silent and accurate. EVOLV is designed to monitor your BP without interrupting your day. It also allows users to find out about their cardiovascular health quickly as well as compare readings across different dates and times of the day, and the latest reading against the last highest or lowest recorded reading. Studies have shown that one in three people measure their BP inaccurately using devices with standard cuffs.

EVOLV’s Intelli-Wrap Cuff Technology ensures 360° accuracy that generates clinically-accurate readings in any position around your upper arm. The Cuff Wrap guide ensures that EVOLV is wrapped correctly. This ‘Intellisense’ technology quietly inflates the cuff automatically to what is ideal for your body. EVOLV also detects body movement during measurement to assure the accuracy of your readings. The machine even sends a warning if an irregular heartbeat has been detected. This can also provide the average reading upon request and locates and reads back their latest BP reading. In addition, it can also provide guidelines and tips to ensure accurate measurement. As a result, users will get updates on their recent BP readings and insights on the state of their health in real time. EVOLV’s internal memory can store up to 100 readings. You can also download the OMRON Connect App, available for free on iPhone and Android app stores. Once paired with EVOLV, the app wirelessly syncs readings with your smartphone and you can even share your results via e-mail, messages or WhatsApp, or sync them automatically to any other compatible app, including Apple Health.

The sleek-looking device sets the new standard in blood pressure monitoring. The display, monitor and cuff have been integrated into a compact one-piece device with no tabletop unit, tubes, or wires. Thanks to its unique design and features, EVOLV offers unmatched usability and portability. This allows you to measure your BP anywhere, anytime.

OMRON VIVA

A clinically validated Smart Body Composition Monitor

Keeping your BP in check is half the battle, you also need to monitor your progress and see how much body composition you currently have. This is where OMRON has once again come up with a device that ticks all the boxes. VIVA, OMRON’s first Smart Body Composition Monitor with proven key parameters that are predictive for cardiovascular events, gives information about body metrics that are predictors of cardiovascular events, with clinically validated accuracy. Thereby, helping you keep your motivation high while influencing your heart’s future. When synced with the EVOLV Smart Blood Pressure Monitor, it can help positively influence your heart’s health. Although looking better is a strong stimulus to train harder and control our food intake, body composition relevance goes far beyond personal appearance. It has been shown that 20 per cent of people worldwide suffers from ‘Normal Weight Obesity’, a condition of having normal body weight but with a high body fat percentage. Even if your BMI is good, you might still be at risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality and other conditions associated with chronic diseases, such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia if your levels of visceral fat are too high. In addition, as muscle mass decreases with age, body fat accumulation becomes much easier. Analysis of visceral and subcutaneous fat levels is needed for better insights on ‘actual obesity’. VIVA helps you dig a little bit deeper than just weight and most importantly, it does so with accurate readings. OMRON is the global benchmark for accuracy and reliability, with a long-standing tradition of innovation in cardiovascular monitoring over the last 50 years. With the introduction of OMRON VIVA, you will be able to track visceral fat, body fat and skeletal muscle at home. These in turn, are important parameters that can help predict cardiovascular events. Visceral fat accumulates around your vital organs. Excess of this ‘active fat’ affects how your hormones and body function. It increases your blood pressure and impacts your overall well-being. Furthermore, VIVA also tracks three other vital body metrics: resting metabolism, weight and BMI. Connectivity is at the very heart of VIVA’s unique set of benefits. Just step on and your measurements will automatically synchronise with the easy-to-use OMRON connect app. OMRON connect keeps track of your body metrics over time, all of which you can easily export and share with your doctor, nutritionist or trainer. If you don’t have your mobile handy, VIVA will store up to 30 days of measurements per user until you’re able to sync. As a result, you will monitor your body changes over time, obtaining crucial insights about the evolution of your cardiovascular health. For senior healthcare patients, it is more difficult to maintain the same body shape with age, especially when you’re recovering and your health is no longer the same as when you were younger. With VIVA, you can find your body balance and stay in control of six body metrics, allowing you to move forward with your life. These metrics include visceral fat, body fat, resting metabolism, skeletal muscle, body mass index and weight.

Trying to lead a healthier lifestyle can be daunting. Setting achievable and realistic goals is essential to building new habits in the long run. Finally, find some time to indulge in your favourite activities and savour the small things. Celebrate your victories towards a healthy heart.

— ali@khaleejtimes.com