A new non-invasive method of blood pressure measuring, for which you do not need to use a cuff, was discovered and analysed at the World Class Scientific Centre (NCMU) ‘Digital Biodesign and Personalised Healthcare’ at Sechenov University.

As part of a study conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Telemedicine (Solbiate-Arno, Italy), the ARTORG Centre for Biomedical Engineering, and the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (Bern, Switzerland), the blood pressure of the patients was measured in a classical way using a sphygmomanometer and a new method (‘without a cuff’). In this work, doctors used CardioQVARK, a mobile phone case with sensors for detecting volumetric changes in small blood vessels, including a single-channel electrocardiograph and a photoplethysmograph. The principle of operation is quite simple — the device records an electrocardiogram and a photoplethysmogram, then the data are processed and sent to a smartphone application using a unique algorithm.

The following information about the patient is entered: gender, height, weight, risk factors, and the corresponding disease code according to the ICD-10. The final protocol contains data on the heart rate, the type of heart rhythm, the intervals of the cardiogram, the number and type of premature beats, and the features of the pulse wave. It is possible to assess the stiffness of blood vessels, oxygen saturation, the frequency of respiratory movements per minute, and the level of blood pressure.

To compare the results obtained by a non-invasive non-cuff method and a conventional sphygmomanometer, the Centre’s specialists conducted a study with 500 patients with arterial hypertension, aged 32 to 88 years. Blood pressure was measured repeatedly by both methods. The correlation between the results obtained using the two methods was 0.89 for systolic pressure (p = 0.001) and 0.87 for diastolic pressure (p = 0.002).

The results of blood pressure measurements ‘without a cuff’ look promising. The authors of the study concluded that this technology could become a more convenient way of monitoring for those people who need continuous telemedicine support regarding their hemodynamic parameters.

Read more:

Sagirova Z, et al. Cuffless Blood Pressure Measurement Using a Smartphone-Case Based ECG Monitor with Photoplethysmography in Hypertensive Patients. Sensors 2021, 21, 3525.