Clinical study of a chest‐based cuffless blood pressure monitoring system

Abstract

Blood pressure (BP) is one of the critical vital signs in healthcare applications. High BP or hypertension (HTN) (known as the "silent killer") is one of the biggest contributors to cardiovascular disease, and hence death, worldwide (Perkovic, Huxley, Wu, Prabhakaran, & MacMahon, 2007; Top 10 causes of death, 2018). It does this by contributing to stroke, coronary artery disease and heart failure (Top 10 causes of death, 2018). BP is indicated by the level of tension produced by the blood circulating upon the surfaces of the blood vessels, mainly the arteries (arterial BP or ABP). This pressure is generated when the flow of the blood (provided by the pumping of the heart) is resisted by the arteries. The systolic BP (SBP) is the maximum pressure created when the heart contracts or beats. The diastolic BP (DBP) is the minimum pressure, or relaxation pressure in between two heartbeats. BP is presented as the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure or SBP/DBP (Mohrman & Heller, 2014). Globally, BP is measured by healthcare professionals as a cornerstone vital sign in the investigation and treatment of cardiovascular health (Top 10 causes of death, 2018).