The miniaturized tonometric finger probe measured systolic and diastolic blood pressures with a mean difference of -3.5 ± 8.4 mmHg and -4.0 ± 4.4 mmHg compared to reference methods.
Observational (n=43)
No
Does a miniature cuffless tonometric finger probe accurately measure blood pressure compared to traditional manual auscultation and automated cuff oscillometry?
A novel miniature cuffless tonometric finger probe provides blood pressure measurements comparable to traditional cuff-based methods, offering a potential alternative for continuous, less obtrusive bedside monitoring.
Abstract Background Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure (BP), is a marker for many cardiovascular diseases and can lead to life-threatening conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, and stroke. BP monitoring using a traditional arm cuff device is often inconvenient and possibly painful in long-term use, i.e. during sleep. Methods We present a miniature cuffless tonometric finger probe system, that uses the oscillometric method to measure blood pressure (BP). Our approach uses a motorized press that is used to apply pressure to the finger tip to measure BP. Results We verified the functionality of the device in a clinical trial (n=43) resulting in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) pressures (( mean ± SD ) mmHg) of (−3.5 ± 8.4) mmHg and (−4.0 ± 4.4) mmHg, respectively. Comparison was made with manual auscultation (n=26) and automated cuff oscillometry (n=18). In addition to BP, we demonstrated the ability of the device to assess arterial stiffness (n=18) and detect atrial fibrillation (n=6). Conclusions We were able to introduce a sufficiently small device that could be used for convenient ambulatory measurements and worn during sleep with minimal discomfort. Lastly, we evaluate methods to further develop the concept and discuss future directions. Plain language summary Traditional cuff-based automated BP instruments are mainly suitable for individual measurements and are often inconvenient to use. Patients in a hospital ward are typically monitored with many systems and devices. Our aim is to develop a blood pressure measurement technology that could be integrated into a finger-worn pulse oximeter. This way the need for a bulky and inconvenient arm cuff could be eliminated and the number of needed monitoring devices could be reduced. The proposed technology is especially suitable for pseudo-continuous BP measurement, that is, taking automated measurements periodically, enabling BP trend tracking and analysis. In this study, we clinically validate our technology for blood pressure monitoring and further demonstrate its potential to measure arterial stiffness and detect atrial fibrillation.
Panula et al. (Fri,) conducted a observational in Blood pressure monitoring (n=43). Miniaturized cuffless tonometric finger probe vs. Manual auscultation and automated cuff oscillometry was evaluated on Mean difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to reference methods. The miniaturized tonometric finger probe measured systolic and diastolic blood pressures with a mean difference of -3.5 ± 8.4 mmHg and -4.0 ± 4.4 mmHg compared to reference methods.