Emerging sensing and modeling technologies for wearable and cuffless blood pressure monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major global health concern, necessitating frequent blood pressure (BP) monitoring for early detection and management.
• Continuous, real-time BP monitoring outside clinical settings, particularly during daily activities and sleep, is highly desirable for effective CVD care.
• Wearable and cuffless BP monitoring technologies are emerging as key components of the mobile healthcare initiative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the enabling technologies for wearable and cuffless BP monitoring platforms.
• To cover emerging flexible sensor designs and BP extraction algorithms for continuous BP monitoring.
• To highlight interdisciplinary research opportunities for next-generation BP measurement devices.

Main Methods:

• Classification of sensing devices into electrical, optical, and mechanical sensors based on signal type.
• Review of state-of-the-art materials, fabrication methods, and performance of various sensor types.
• Introduction and comparison of contemporary algorithmic BP estimation methods, including pulse transit time-based models and machine learning approaches.

Main Results:

• Flexible sensors are being developed using diverse materials and fabrication techniques for wearable BP monitoring.
• Both analytical and machine learning algorithms show promise for beat-to-beat BP estimation and continuous BP waveform extraction.
• Comparison of mainstream methods based on input modalities, features, algorithms, and performance metrics.

Conclusions:

• Advancements in flexible sensor technology and signal processing algorithms are paving the way for cuffless BP monitoring.
• Integration of innovations in sensor design and signal processing is crucial for developing accurate and reliable wearable BP devices.
• Future research should focus on interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the wearability, reliability, and accuracy of next-generation cuffless BP measurement systems.