Foil electret transducer for blood pressure monitoring

A foil electret microphone for use under the cuff of an automatic blood pressure monitoring system is described. The transducer is designed to operate with relatively flat sensitivity over a static pressure range of 40 to 250 mm Hg (5.33 X 10(4) to 3.33 X 10(5) dyn/cm2). The new electret microphone differs from conventional microphones used for airborne sound reception in two ways: (1) the diaphragm thickness is 50 micron rather than the typical 12.5 or 25 micron, and (2) the backplate contains a set of annular ridges spaced at 4 mm rather than the typical 7-10 mm. This microphone offers three advantages over the piezoelectric microphone now in use: (1) greater tolerance in positioning the microphone over the brachial artery, (2) nearly 20-dB higher sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio, and (3) the ability to obtain measurements with the microphone placed midway between the elbow and shoulder. Tests of the new foil electret microphone in conjunction with the automatic blood pressure monitoring system indicate that the automatic and conventional measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure agree to within 5 mm Hg at least 90% of the time. In addition, the electret microphone is able to obtain automatic measurements on subjects with a wider range of ages and sizes.