Correlation analysis of human upper arm parameters to oscillometric signal in automatic blood pressure measurement

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of global deaths, making cardiovascular health monitoring important. Measuring blood pressure using an automatic sphygmomanometer is the most widely used method to monitor cardiovascular health due to its accessibility, convenience, and strong correlation with cardiovascular diseases. In this work, in order to estimate brachial artery diameter, stiffness, or thickness using an automatic sphygmomanometer, the correlation between upper arm parameters and the oscillometric signal was intensively investigated through analytical, numerical, and experimental approaches. The parametric studies commonly revealed that the inner radius of the brachial artery is the most influential parameter in determining the amplitude of the oscillometric signal. The experimental results of using a cardiovascular simulator (a virtual patient) combined with upper arm phantoms with various inner radii of the brachial artery showed a 6.5% change in the oscillometric signal amplitude with a 10% artery radius variation. It was concluded that the oscillometric signal can be used to evaluate brachial artery diameter. Based on the clinical relationship between brachial artery diameter and cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, this study showed and verified a novel method to monitor brachial artery diameter and hence, cardiovascular risks while measuring blood pressure.

Arterial stiffness assessment using PPG feature extraction and significance testing in an in vitro cardiovascular system

“…The pressure signals, conforming to a standard pressure pulse wave shape 41 , were obtained by sensors placed after the vessel and do not show much variation between stiffnesses. The soft vessel exhibited a Young Modulus of 0.6 MPa, while the stiff vessel had a Young Modulus 0.8 Mpa, representing the arterial stiffness values as highlighted in the literature 34 – 37 . …”

“…The resultant vessels were tensile tested in a Universal Testing System (Instron 5944, Norwood, MA), indicating Young’s elastic modulus values of 0.52 MPa, 0.60 MPa, 0.64 MPa, 0.78 MPa and 0.80 MPa, with an inner diameter of 2.8 mm and a wall thickness of 0.5 mm. This was representative of the dimensions of the arteries found in the forearm 31 – 33 and in the similar range of vascular elastic properties 34 – 37 .…”

Reproduction of human blood pressure waveform using physiology-based cardiovascular simulator

“…In addition, it can be applied to developing BP measuring instruments and wearable devices, e.g. cuffs and smartwatches by extending the vascular system of the brachial artery and radial artery from the artificial aorta in the future works 64 , 65 .…”

Evaluation of blood pressure using a flexible and wearable capacitive pressure sensor

“…[5][6][7] Cardiovascular disease and the associated complications are considered the leading causes of death worldwide, claiming approximately 18 million lives in 2019 and accounting for nearly one-third of all fatalities. 4 Therefore, continuous BP monitoring is crucial for the early identication and treatment of disorders affecting the cardiovascular system.…”