I'm a newbie to arduino and working on a project that involves a blood pressure monitor that I've attempted to hack for the prototype. (I have been using a wrist cuff BPM to obtain preliminary results). I am now looking to streamline the design and make it smaller and more wearable leaning toward getting it watch sized.
I recently came across an item called an activty tracker. It seems that this device can give me a BP along with heart rate an other fitness based readings (distance, steps.....etc). Looking closer at how these work I have realised that the sensor used for BP and HR is the same thing and is infact the same as the IR pulse sensor that can be purchased/built for the arduino.
After alot of reading up on this I am assuming that the BP is equated using the raw data from the sensor and some kind of formula to give systolic and diastolic readings based on pulse wave analysis. Does anyone know how to get this or what the code would be???
I'm not particularly worried about how super accurate it is as long as it can work and is roughly in the right range at this stage.
I know that I could just buy an activity tracker but I would really love to be able to build and code my own.
What does Google say? I'm sure that if such a device is possible, there will be lots of academic papers and patents showing it.
Of course the activity wristband things might be making it up or they need a starting point to know what your resting BP is, then they scale by heartrate or something.
The BPro was one of the devices that got me interested in this, it claims to be able to give BP readings without a pressure cuff.
I've been looking around on google to find information but I'm not finding much and not understanding even more otherwise I wouldn't be asking on here. So if you have found any helpful article or tutorials please let me know.
I can't see how you can measure blood pressure accurately without a pressure sensor of some sort.
Me to, but based on looking at the photo only, it looks to me like maybe that black blob on the inside of the wrist monitor may be some sort pressure sensor.
I find it kinda hard to understand how the bpro measures bp using a pressure sensor without an inflatable cuff. It states that it doesn't use one. I'm pretty sure its some kind of optical sensor that is normally used to measure pulse.
Looking on amazon there seems to be plenty of activity trackers that give a bp reading using only that type of sensor.
Here is a device that claims to use "visible light fluctuation" to monitor blood pressure. I believe this is "marketing hype". But just look at how attractive the models who seem to have the bracelet shooped onto their wrists look! And for only $22!
Here is a device that claims to use "visible light fluctuation" to monitor blood pressure.
It might be worth $22 just to see if the blood pressure readings have anything to do with reality.
Having recently been hospitalized for knee surgery, I can report that modern hospitals do not use such a device to measure blood pressure. They use inflatable cuffs like everyone else on the planet.
They do use cool little (throwaway) fingernail clips to read out the pulse and oxygen content, and I took mine home to dismantle. It has a photodiode on one side and a dual IR/red LED on the other, for ratiometric measurements.
What you are interested is learning the Oscillometric method of determining blood pressure. You'll need to review cuff deflation curves, even generate a few yourself.
