The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to AtCor Medical's new blood pressure cuff- based system, designed for measuring brachial and central aortic blood pressure simultaneously.

Available in Europe, Australia, India and other Asian markets, the SphygmoCor XCEL system is also used to perform pulse wave velocity measurement, a test used to measure aortic stiffness.

AtCor Medical CEO Duncan Ross said with the launch of a new blood pressure system, physicians and the company’s clinical trials customers have responded positively.

"SphygmoCor XCEL offers users the gold standard in pulse wave analysis and pulse wave velocity measurement, featured in over 600 published studies, in a cuff-based system that is very easy to use," Ross added.

"Study after study, has shown that measuring central aortic blood pressure and arterial stiffness is vitally important in drug selection, in understanding patient response to drug therapy and in accurately assessing the patient’s cardiovascular risk.

"New research suggests that arterial stiffness is a precursor to the development of hypertension, holding out the possibility of preventive treatment for hypertension."