Our Mission
At Centrus Diagnostics, our mission is to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation – three of the most important cardiovascular diseases worldwide – through the development our CentrusDx™ SmartBands, which are mobile, wearable sensor platforms.
The CentrusDx™ SmartBand product suite is being developed to provide real-time, continuous, 24/7 hospital-grade Blood Pressure measurements and accurate electrocardiographic (EKG) data with the comfort and ease of use of a smartwatch for patients and their caregivers, and for the everyday health-conscious consumers.
Addressing Blood Pressure
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is the most important disease worldwide and the most common risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Worldwide prevalence is estimated at 1.28 billion people between the ages of 30 and 79. Depending on geography, up to 50% of people diagnosed with hypertension are resistant to medication, while many more are unaware they have it.
The method of measurement of blood pressure using an inflatable cuff (sphygmomanometry) hasn’t changed in more than a century. Most patients can’t tolerate a cuff-based measurement more than once an hour and experience difficulty sleeping when using an automatic cuff-based device that’s attached to them.
The availability of an accurate, continuous, and comfortable cuffless blood pressure measuring device will finally change the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Centrus Diagnostics is successfully developing such a device, which we call CentrusDx™ SmartBands.
How prevalent is Hypertension?
- Hypertension is the most prevalent disease on the planet. In 2021, hypertension was the primary or contributing cause of 691,095 deaths in the US. *
- Hypertension puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the US. *
- 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide have hypertension.
- Half of US adults and 2/3 > 60 have hypertension (~103 million).
- Only 1 in 5 adults (21%) with hypertension have it under control.
- Drug resistant hypertension is the most common cause of heart failure (known as Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction, aka HFpEF).
- A 38% increase in hypertension deaths occurred between 2015 and 2023.
- National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple Cause of Death 2018-2021 on CDC Wonder Database. Accessed February 2, 2023.
Defining the Blood Pressure Device Market
United States
- US people on Medicare (2023) – 66 million
- US people 65+ with private insurance (2023) – 132 million
- US population 65+ with hypertension (2023) – 70%
Worldwide Wearable Blood Pressure Device Market
- Valued at 1.8 billion in (2022)
- Estimated to grow to $8 billion (by the end of 2032), a 15%-16% CAGR.*
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8942176/ Wearable blood pressure measurement devices and new approaches in hypertension management: the digital era, 2022
Photoplethysmography is the core technology behind the CentrusDx™ SmartBands for Blood Pressure.
Photoplethysmography, aka PPG, is a non-invasive technology that utilizes a light source and a photodetector on the skin surface to calculate the volumetric variations of blood circulation.
Mathematical transformations of the PPG signal are used to estimate heart rate and blood pressure. The difference between the light absorption characteristics of oxygenated (arterial) and de-oxygenated (venous) hemoglobin can also be used to estimate percentage oxygen saturation, also known as pulse oximetry. Most marketed PPGs include heart rate and pulse oximetry measurements.