We propose a novel continuous blood pressure monitoring system which is based on an autonomic nervous system, and which considers blood volume simultaneously since both affect blood pressure. An autonomic nervous system regulates blood pressure while blood volume is known to be proportional to the photoplethysmography (PPG) signal. To overcome the limitation of taking blood pressure using a conventional cuff inflating instrument, we designed a system which can achieve continuous blood pressure monitoring. In this research, we used a set of near-infrared light source (940nm) to create a divergent light which was collimated as a uniform beam incident to a wrist surface through a Fourier optics designed transfer lens. We found that the signals became more stable due to the uniform illumination and could be received by a detector. From the signals, we found that the blood volume when converted from blood velocity as measured by an ultrasound probe, showed a strong correlation with the signals. The heart rate variability analyzed from the signals, including time-domain (HR and SDNN) and frequency-domain (LF and HF) indices, could be viewed as physical models since these indices reflect the functions of an autonomic nervous system. Moreover, the research derived regression models can estimate blood pressure. Although it is not common to assess blood pressure from the perspective of an autonomic nervous system and blood flow simultaneously, our research approach seems logical. Our results show the potential for this novel system to be used for blood pressure health monitoring.
The viscoelasticity of arterial walls is an important parameter to use when diagnosing cardiovascular disease. Recently, the index of arteriosclerosis has been clinically evaluated by looking at factors such as pulse transit time and ankle branchial pressure index. However, the indirect method does not reflect the actual real properties of arterial walls, which may lead to misdiagnosis. Therefore, just looking at pulse transit time is not a satisfactory parameter to evaluate arterial viscoelasticity. In this research, we used a Lamb wave velocity dispersion model to estimate the viscoelastic material properties of arterial phantoms. The arterial walls were composed of a thin layer plate merged in a water fluid in which the vibrations are induced by an external vibrator excitation such as a Lamb wave. A mechanical actuator was used to create a repetitive 50Hz to 200Hz low-frequency air-puff excitation to excite the harmonic mechanical waves in the latex pipe wall. The velocity of the traveling waves was measured by a fiber-based laser doppler vibrometer. The laser doppler vibrometer was the incorporation of a circulator which allowed for uni-directional transmission of electromagnetic waves, so that only the probe could achieve the purpose of emitting and receiving light. Moreover, the system was mounted on a linear translation stage and the traveling waves velocity were measured at multiple points. Then, the wave velocities were calculated by calculating the signal phase difference between the different measured positions. The viscoelastic property of the latex pipe was used to calculate the Lamb wave velocity by using a Lamb wave dispersion model. In conclusion, we propose a novel method to measure the viscoelastic properties of arterial walls in-vitro with high accuracy. Simulated experiments were performed to validate the proposed method. Our new proposed method has the potential to more accurately diagnose cardiovascular diseases for both home health care and for clinical medicine.
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