Methods and Apparatus for Determining Cuff-Less Blood Pressure

Introduction

Blood pressure provides health care professionals with basic, yet essential information about a patient's health and well-being. For some high risk patients, blood pressure must be consistently and in some cases constantly monitored, usually requiring an intra-arterial catheter. Traditional blood pressure cuffs are insufficient for these patients as well as elderly who are subject to arterial collapse and military personnel injured in battle which defines the need for the development of alternative methods to consistently and/or constantly monitor a patient’s blood pressure.

Description of Technology

This technology provides a cuff-less method of measuring a patient’s blood pressure. A one-time calibration of the patient’s pulse transit time is required through the use of a cuff or catheter, when applicable. By measuring the travel time of an arterial wave from one point to another, a patient specific blood pressure calibration curve can be created. Upon the completion of this calibration step, the patient can use a cuff-less apparatus for constantly monitoring blood pressure or in applications where the use of a blood pressure cuff is unrealistic.

Key Benefits

• Safe Calibration: Other methods for measuring blood pressure using pulse transmit times requires a patient to experience perturbation to complete calibration. This method can accurately calibrate with the measurement of normal pulse transit time, reducing risk to the patient.   
• Patient Specific: Because this apparatus is calibrated for the patient, the reading is patient specific and accurate.
• Improved Accuracy: Errors in cuff placement and user error can be avoided, improving accuracy of readings.
• Time Efficient: Measures blood pressure without the application and inflation of a cuff. This greatly reduces the time required to obtain an accurate reading, which is beneficial in military and hospital settings.

Applications

• Hospitals and Outpatient Care Clinics
• Home-care
• Nursing Homes
• Military Use in Battlefield

Patent Status

Non-Provisional Filed, Serial No.: 14/011,063

Inventors

Ramakrishna Mukkamala, Mingwu Gao

Tech ID

TEC2013-0012