AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG) today announced that a new study* showed that AtCor's SphygmoCor system, which measures central blood pressure and arterial stiffness noninvasively can predict the development of pre-eclampsia, which occurs in 3-5% of all pregnancies and is a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality and preterm delivery.

A team at University of London administered the SphygmoCor test, which determines central pressure through a pressure measurement taken at the patient's wrist, on 210 low-risk women. The test was administered between the 11th and 13th weeks of pregnancy. The assessment predicted 79% of all cases of pre-eclampsia and 88% of cases of early onset pre-eclampsia, which occurs before 34 weeks of gestation.

The study, published in the BJOG, a leading international journal of obstetrics and gynecology, found that two central cardiovascular indices reported by the SphygmoCor system predicted subsequent development of pre-eclampsia. These indices, augmentation pressure and augmentation index, both measure arterial stiffness…