Generally speaking, having one’s blood pressure measured is not exactly a physically painful experience unless one is hypersensitive to the slight degree of pressure the cuff imparts to one’s upper arm or one has dangerously low blood pressure and the cuff must squeeze the daylight out of one’s upper arm just to get even an error reading.
Then there is the possibility of psychological pain, which could not be eliminated or minimized by the sphygmomanometer. For example, if one has not exactly been following one’s physician’s recommendations for lowering blood pressure, the psychological pressure can, and will, make one’s blood pressure rise.
Essentially, the aforementioned conventional method using a sphygmomanometer to first occlude the artery before performing measurement while releasing pressure presents many difficulties. These include properly positioning the cuff and the use of a large instrument that consumes a lot of power. To rectify this situation, ROHM and Equate Health have partnered on developing a cuffless blood pressure solution that combines ROHM’s second generation optical heart rate sensor with Equate Health’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools.
ROHM’s BH1792GLC optical heart rate sensor specifies a current consumption of 0.44m A during measurement, 1,024 Hz sampling rate, and an integrated optical filter that reportedly boosts accuracy. The sensor data is processed using Equate Health’s targeted algorithms based on proprietary AI/machine learning tools.
Satya Dixit, Senior Director of Solutions Marketing at ROHM, says happily, “We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Equate Health. It is our belief that by pooling our resources we will be able to provide consumers with the ability to monitor their blood pressure easily and with a high degree of accuracy and reliability. This collaboration aims to create proof-of-principle for science- and technology-driven health monitoring devices that will allow users, along with their medical providers, to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare and well-being.”
Dr. Sam Ramakrishnan, CMO of Equate Health, instructs, “The unique way to measure blood pressure will solve a major issue of non-compliance among patients and at the same time simplify measurement, so much so that even those who are unable to access clinical providers or equipment will be able to purchase this device off the shelf and quickly determine their blood pressure. Another major segment of the population, namely those that are currently dealing with labile hypertension, may also benefit from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.”
If you thirst for more knowledge, you can view a BH1792GLC optical heart rate sensor datasheet and read more about Equate Health.