Wearable sensors paired with artificial intelligence can generate blood pressure readings that closely match those produced by invasive arterial lines, the standard used in intensive care units and operating rooms, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University.
Early tests in patients suggest the technology could eventually provide an alternative to arterial catheters, potentially allowing hospitals to continuously monitor blood pressure outside intensive care units. The system could also give people with hypertension a way to track their blood pressure continuously, much as wearable glucose monitors help people with diabetes monitor their blood sugar.
Patients in the ICU need continuous blood pressure monitoring to catch problems early, but it means an arterial line, which comes with a risk of bleeding, clotting and infection. Study researchers wanted to find a better way. The findings are published in Computers in Biology and Medicine.
Blood pressure can fluctuate significantly in critically ill patients. When blood pressure is too high, it can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and kidney damage. When it drops too low, the brain and other vital organs may not receive enough blood.
The current standard for continuous blood pressure monitoring is an arterial line, a catheter inserted directly into an artery, usually in the arm or groin. The device provides continuous, real-time blood pressure measurements and is highly effective, but the procedure carries risks, including bleeding, clotting, and infection. It can also restrict a patient's mobility.
Traditional blood pressure cuffs are noninvasive, but they provide only intermittent measurements. The Johns Hopkins team developed a system called MOSAIC that uses two sensors: one placed on the patient's chest and another on a finger. Together, the sensors capture the heart's electrical activity and the movement of blood through the body. The signals are then fed into a deep-learning model that generates a continuous blood pressure waveform.
They reconstructed waveform data in a way that's meaningful, accurate, reliable and, most importantly, non-invasive. It's a possible solution to avoid the current standard of care for measuring blood pressure: arterial lines, a very invasive procedure with a risk of many complications.
In an initial study involving 28 patients in the intensive care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the system produced blood pressure waveforms that closely matched those recorded by conventional arterial catheters. The researchers are now validating the sensors and algorithm in a larger group of Johns Hopkins ICU patients.
In the longer term, the team hopes the technology will reduce the need for invasive monitoring and make continuous blood pressure measurement possible in a wider range of settings, including regular hospital wards and patients' homes.
The researchers envision that people with hypertension, one of the world's most common and deadly diseases, could wear the sensors daily to monitor their blood pressure. They hope the technology could transform blood pressure management for millions of people with hypertension in much the same way continuous glucose monitors have changed diabetes care.
Healthy people could also use the sensors to provide new insights into daily blood pressure fluctuations and long-term trends during everyday activities.
Source: Computers in Biology and Medicine
Image Credit: iStock
