Key result
Optimum envelope representations yield acceptable oscillometric systolic blood pressure estimates in ~73% of subjects.
Why the study?
To determine whether specific amplitude ratios in the fixed-ratio algorithm and different oscillometric waveform envelope representations yield consistently accurate blood pressure estimates compared to auscultation.
Do specific amplitude ratios and waveform envelopes in the fixed-ratio algorithm improve the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure estimation compared to auscultation in healthy volunteers?
Cross-Sectional (n=73)
Do specific amplitude ratios and waveform envelopes in the fixed-ratio algorithm improve the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure estimation compared to auscultation in healthy volunteers?
Specific amplitude ratios and envelope representations can optimize oscillometric blood pressure estimation, but a significant portion of measurements remain unreliable, emphasizing the need for validated devices.
Optimum envelopes yield acceptable oscillometric accuracy in ~70%; leaves open need for validated algorithms before clinical reliance.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if, when using the oscillometric method, there is a specific range of amplitude ratios in the fixed-ratio algorithm that will result in blood pressure estimates that consistently fall within a mean error ≤5 mmHg and a SD of the error <8 mmHg. Additionally, to apply different representations of the oscillometric waveform envelope to verify if this will affect the accuracy of the results. METHODS: SBP and DBP were obtained using the fixed-ratios method applied to a dataset of 219 oscillometric measurements obtained from 73 healthy volunteers and compared to their corresponding auscultation values. Ratio and envelope analysis were done on Matlab (The MathWorks, Inc., Natick, Massachusetts, USA). RESULTS: Depending on the envelope representation, ratios between 0.44-0.74 for systolic pressure and 0.51-0.85 for diastolic pressure yield results within the limits mentioned above. When a set of optimum envelope representations and ratios are selected based on population mean, the highest percentage of subjects presenting blood pressure estimates within the limits were 72.6% for systolic and 69.9% for diastolic. CONCLUSION: The range of ratios presenting optimum results appears to be independent of the degree of arterial stiffness given the wide range of ages of the subjects in the study. Different representations of the oscillometric waveform envelope may improve the accuracy of the method. However, there remains a considerable percentage of the population with unreliable results. It is therefore important to only use devices that have been properly validated according to standard protocol.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Alvarez et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy volunteers (n=73). Oscillometric blood pressure estimation using fixed-ratios method vs. Auscultation was evaluated on Blood pressure estimates within a mean error ≤5 mmHg and a SD of the error <8 mmHg. Using optimum envelope representations and ratios, oscillometric blood pressure estimates fell within acceptable error limits for 72.6% of subjects for systolic and 69.9% for diastolic pressure.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: