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Continuous blood pressure measurement using pulse transit time

Kontinuierliche Blutdruckmessung anhand der Pulstransitzeit

Somnologie - Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Measurement of blood pressure (BP) during sleep is gaining in importance for clinical and scientific reasons. Diagnosis and follow-up of arterial hypertension requires BP measurement during sleep. Further, continuous BP measurements are necessary to elucidate the pathogenesis of sleep disturbances (e.g., sleep apnea), which are related to arterial hypertension. This review gives a short overview about cuff-based methods and methods for continuous and non-invasive BP measurement with a focus on sleep. The emphasis of this review is on the indirect measurement of BP using the pulse transit time (PTT). This method is based on the functional relation between arterial wall stiffness, pulse wave velocity, and BP. It can be used for absolute BP measurement when combined with calibration. Recent validation and application studies of the BP measurement using the PTT suggest that this method can in principle be used for BP monitoring during sleep. It opens the possibility to study the control of BP during sleep.

Zusammenfassung

Blutdruckmessungen im Schlaf gewinnen sowohl für klinische als auch wissenschaftliche Anwendungen eine immer größere Bedeutung. Diagnose und Verlaufsbeobachtungen der arteriellen Hypertonie schließen Untersuchungen des Blutdrucks im Schlaf ein. Insbesondere kontinuierliche Messungen sind für die weitere Aufklärung der Pathogenese von Schlafstörungen, die mit Hypertonie vergesellschaftet sind, von besonderem Wert. Das betrifft unter anderem das Schlafapnoe-Sndrom. Dieser Artikel gibt einen kurzen Überblick über die manschettenbasierten Methoden und eine neue Methode der kontinuierlichen nichtinvasiven Blutdruckmessung. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der indirekten Blutdruckmessung mittels Pulstransitzeit. Die Methode basiert auf der funktionellen Beziehung zwischen der Steifheit arterieller Gefäße, der Pulswellengeschwindigkeit und dem Blutdruck. Unter Anwendung einer Ein-Punkt-Kalibrierung sind Messungen absoluter Blutdruckwerte möglich. Die bisher vorliegenden Validierungsstudien zeigen, dass dieses Verfahren für die kontinuierliche Blutdruckmessung in Schlaf prinzipiell geeignet ist und zur weiteren Aufklärung schlafbezogener Blutdruckregulation beitragen kann.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states the following: A.H. is employee of Somnomedics GmbH and A.P. advises Somnomedics GmbH in scientific aspects of blood pressure measurement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SOMNOmedics GmbH, Randersacker, Germany

    A. Hennig

  2. AG Nierengefäßphysiologie, Institüt für Vegetative Physiologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    A. Patzak

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  1. A. Hennig
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Correspondence to A. Patzak.

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Hennig, A., Patzak, A. Continuous blood pressure measurement using pulse transit time. Somnologie 17, 104–110 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-013-0617-x

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