Abstract
We introduce a minimally invasive, implantable system that uses pulse transit time to determine blood pressure. In contrast to previous approaches, the pulse wave is detected by a photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal, acquired with high quality directly on subcutaneous muscle tissue. Electrocardiograms (ECG) were measured with flexible, implantable electrodes on the same tissue. PPG detection is realized by a flat 20 mm x 6 mm optoelectronic pulse oximeter working in reflection mode. The optical sensor as well as the ECG electrodes can be implanted using minimally invasive techniques, with only a small incision into the skin, making long-term monitoring of blood pressure in day-to-day life for high-risk patients possible. The in vivo measurements presented here show that the deviation to intra-arterial reference measurements of the systolic blood pressure in a physiologically relevant range is only 5.5 mmHg, demonstrated for more than 12 000 pulses. This makes the presented sensor a grade B blood pressure monitor.
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Notes
This time difference is sometimes also referred to as the pulse arrival time (PAT).
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M. Theodor is holder of a Fritz-Hüttinger Scholarship.
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Theodor, M., Ruh, D., Fiala, J. et al. Subcutaneous blood pressure monitoring with an implantable optical sensor. Biomed Microdevices 15, 811–820 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-013-9768-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-013-9768-6