BIOMECHANICAL BASIS OF OSCILLOMETRIC BLOOD PRESSURE MEASURING TECHNIQUE

摘要

Non-invasive blood pressure (BP) measurement has been used clinically for over a century to diagnose hypertension. Compared with the auscultatory technique, the oscillometric technique requires less professional training and is widely used in automatic BP measurement devices. Currently, most of these devices measure and record amplitude of cuff pressure oscillation, and then calculate diastolic and systolic pressure using characteristic ratios and designed algorithms. A finite element (FE) model is developed to study the biomechanical basis of this technique. The model identifies that errors were caused by mechanical factors of the soft tissue and the shape of the arm. By personalizing the parameters for each patient, the accuracy of the measurement will be improved for all age groups.