Key result
A low-cost blood flow restriction device showed a mean difference of 7 ± 13 mm Hg compared to the gold standard for identifying arterial occlusion pressure in the arms, but was unreliable for legs.
Why the study?
Blood flow restriction training requires cuff pressure individually adjusted to arterial occlusion pressure, which typically requires sophisticated laboratory equipment, motivating evaluation of an accessible, low-cost device.
Does a low-cost BFR device accurately estimate arterial occlusion pressure compared to the gold standard in healthy volunteers?
Cross-Sectional (n=104)
Does a low-cost BFR device accurately estimate arterial occlusion pressure compared to the gold standard in healthy volunteers?
Mean Difference: 7
Absolute Event Rate: 125% vs 131%
The low-cost BFR device is valid for identifying individual AOP in the arms but cannot be recommended for the legs due to limited pressure capacity.
Low-cost BFR device shows acceptable arm AOP agreement but unreliable leg measurements; leaves open clinical adoption pending further validation.
Keller, M, Faude, O, Gollhofer, A, and Centner, C. Can we make blood flow restriction training more accessible? Validity of a low-cost blood flow restriction device to estimate arterial occlusion pressure. J Strength Cond Res 37(8): 1581-1587, 2023-Evidence indicates that low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction (BFR) results in comparable gains in muscle mass and muscle strength as high-load resistance training without BFR. Low-load BFR training is a promising tool for areas such as rehabilitation because individuals are exposed to low mechanical stress. However, BFR training is only safe and effective when the cuff pressure is individually adjusted to the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Generally, thresholds for AOP are typically determined with sophisticated laboratory material, including Doppler ultrasound and tourniquet systems. Therefore, this study investigated the validity of a low-cost BFR product with automatic AOP assessment (AirBands International) compared with the gold standard for determining the individual AOP. Valid measurements were obtained at the arms and legs in 104 healthy volunteers. For the arms ( n = 49), a Bland-Altman analysis revealed a mean difference of 7 ± 13 mm Hg between the 2 methods, with slightly higher pressure levels for the gold standard (131 ± 14 mm Hg) than for the low-cost device (125 ± 17 mm Hg). For the legs ( n = 55), the low-cost device reached its maximum pressure capacity in 70% of subjects during AOP identification, making the results on the legs unreliable. Although the low-cost device is a valid tool for identifying the individual AOP in the arms, the device cannot be recommended for use at the legs because of its limited pressure capacity. When using the low-cost device for BFR training at the arms, it is recommended to apply the cuff pressure to 60% of the individual AOP to meet current BFR training guidelines.
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Keller et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=104). Low-cost BFR product with automatic AOP assessment (AirBands International) vs. Gold standard (Doppler ultrasound and tourniquet systems) was evaluated on Arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) in the arms (MD 7). A low-cost blood flow restriction device showed a mean difference of 7 ± 13 mm Hg compared to the gold standard for identifying arterial occlusion pressure in the arms, but was unreliable for legs.
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