EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTINUALLY MEASURING THE BLOOD PRESSURE FOR MONITORING PURPOSES

• US 20110166461A1
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STBL Medical Research A
• Original Assignee: STBL Medical Research A
• Inventors: Hirt, Etienne, Süsstrunk, Heinz
• Granted Patent: US 9,848,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/494
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02225 using the oscillometric method
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured

Abstract

The equipment has at least one pressure sensor (28) disposed for being placed onto the surface of the body of the user and being held attached thereto by means of a band. The attachment force is selected such that the pressure signal from the pressure sensor (28) contains variations caused by the pulse. An attachment pressure sensor (52) or a band tension sensor (18′) generates an electrical signal depending on the attachment pressure. The microprocessor (36) determines the diastolic and systolic blood pressure values from the pressure signal, taking into account the signal from the attachment pressure sensor (52) or the band tension sensor (18′).

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An apparatus for continuously measuring the blood pressure of a user for monitoring purposes, with at least one pressure sensor suitable for resting against a site on the external surface of the body of the user, the pressure sensor continuously measuring the pressure at the site influenced by the blood pressure and generating a corresponding electrical pressure signal;

a band suitable for encompassing the body and holding the pressure sensor against the surface at the site with safe, functional contact;

a contact-pressure sensor or a band-tension sensor, wherein the contact-pressure sensor is suitable for resting against the external surface of the body of the user, continuously measuring the contact pressure, and generating a corresponding electrical contact-pressure signal and the band-tension sensor is suitable for continuously measuring the tensile stress in the band and generating a corresponding electrical band-tension signal; and

an electronic circuit with a current supply, a microprocessor for establishing a diastolic and a systolic blood-pressure value, taking into account the contact-pressure signal or the band-tension signal, and an output body for displaying or outputting the blood-pressure values.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the microprocessor is suitable for establishing a correction function as a function of the corresponding contact-pressure signal or band-tension signal and the pressure signal in the case of the band tightened to a different extent in order to correct the pressure signal as a function of the contact-pressure signal or band-tension signal during the continuous measurement.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the correction function is established by linear regression and the band is tightened in a step-like fashion.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the band is provided with a catch in order to be able to tighten the band to a greater and lesser extent.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the catch is a stepped catch.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a housing with a bearing plate, wherein:

the bearing plate forms the housing base; and

the pressure sensor protrudes with respect to the bearing plate.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the pressure sensor protrudes no more than 1 mm with respect to the bearing plate.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the contact-pressure sensor likewise protrudes beyond the bearing plate, but by a smaller amount than the pressure sensor.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the smaller amount by which the contact-pressure sensor protrudes beyond the bearing plate is approximately half the amount by which the pressure sensor protrudes.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an input body for entering at least one externally measured diastolic and systolic effective blood-pressure value, wherein the microprocessor is suitable for establishing a calibration function from these effective blood-pressure values and the pressure signal, which was corrected by the correction function if need be, in order to establish the effective blood-pressure values during the continuous measurement.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an air-pressure sensor, the electrical air-pressure output signal of which is fed to the microprocessor.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the electrical air-pressure output signal is fed to the microprocessor for correcting the pressure signal and, if need be, for correcting the contact-pressure signal.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the pressure sensor is embodied as an absolute-pressure sensor and, if present, the contact-pressure sensor is likewise embodied as an absolute-pressure sensor.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an accelerometer, the electrical acceleration output signal of which is fed to the microprocessor for evaluation.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a temperature sensor, the electrical temperature output signal of which is fed to the microprocessor for evaluation.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an infrared transmitter with an associated detector, the electrical detector output signal of which is fed to the microprocessor for evaluation.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electronic circuit has an acoustic or optical alarm transmitter, which can be actuated by the microprocessor in order to trigger an alarm if prescribable alarm thresholds for the diastolic and systolic blood pressure are exceeded or undershot.

33. A method for continuously measuring the blood pressure of a user for monitoring purposes, in which at least one pressure sensor is brought to rest against a site on the external surface of the body of the user;

the pressure influenced by the blood pressure is continuously measured at the site by means of the pressure sensor and a corresponding electrical pressure signal is generated;

the body is encompassed by a band for holding the pressure sensor against the surface at the site with safe, functional contact;

a contact pressure is continuously measured by means of a contact-pressure sensor or a band-tension sensor on the external surface of the body of the user and a corresponding electrical contact-pressure signal is generated or the tensile stress of the band is continuously measured and a corresponding electrical band-tension signal is generated; and

a diastolic and a systolic blood-pressure value is established from the pressure signal via a microprocessor of an electronic circuit with a current supply, taking into account the contact-pressure signal or the band-tension signal, and said blood-pressure value can be displayed or output by means of an output body.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the band is tightened to a different extent and a correction function is established as a function of the corresponding contact-pressure signal or band-tension signal and the pressure signal via the microprocessor in order to correct the pressure signal by the correction function, as a function of the contact-pressure signal or band-tension signal, during the continuous measurement.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the correction function is established by linear regression and the band is tightened in a step-like fashion.

36. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein an externally measured diastolic and systolic effective blood-pressure value is entered and the microprocessor establishes a calibration function from these effective blood-pressure values and the pressure signal, which if need be was corrected by the correction function, in order to establish the effective diastolic and systolic blood-pressure value during the continuous measurement.