North Bergen Grandmother First in New Jersey to Use Cuffless Blood Pressure Patch

Millie Ramos, a 63-year-old grandmother from North Bergen, has become the first New Jersey resident—and among the first in the United States—to use BioBeat’s cuffless blood pressure patch. The single-use, FDA-cleared device enables continuous 24-hour monitoring without the need for traditional arm cuffs.

The wearable patch is part of a pilot initiative from RWJBarnabas Health and Liberty Science Center’s SciTech Scity Healthcare Innovation Engine. The goal is to provide a more comfortable and accessible option for patients, especially those who are underserved or experience anxiety during routine blood pressure checks.

“When patients come to our clinic to have a blood pressure check, it’s a one-time reading,” a representative explained in a video accompanying the pilot. “What this allows us to do is take the blood pressure measurement outside of the clinic… every 15 minutes for a period of 24 hours.”

The patch pairs with a smartphone app, which guides the user through setup and automatically transmits data to physicians. Patients are prompted to log their sleep and wake times after the monitoring period ends, after which the device is discarded.

The technology reduces stress associated with traditional cuffs by eliminating inflations and unexpected measurements. “They don’t know when it’s happening, so there’s no anticipatory anxiety,” one clinician said.

BioBeat is the first FDA-approved continuous blood pressure monitor of its kind. The program is part of a broader partnership at SciTech Scity, a 30-acre innovation campus under construction in Jersey City, aiming to advance remote monitoring and diagnostic care.

“One of the companies coming through the SciTech Scity partnership in this cardiovascular space is BioBeat. It offers that opportunity to reach the patient early… and truly provide advanced diagnostic information to specialists,” a representative said.