A single-pieced, fully air-driven, cuff-inserted pseudo-blood pressure generator for on-site pre-screening test of non-invasive blood pressure monitor by nurses

Young Jun Hwang,Sung Uk Yun,Gun Ho Kim,Kyoung Won Nam

doi:10.1186/s12938-019-0719-1

Abstract

BackgroundIt is crucial to frequently inspect the proper operation of non-invasive electronic blood pressure monitors in various sites to prevent accidents from inaccurate blood pressure measurements, especially for large-scale hospitals. However, most conventional blood pressure monitor inspection devices are not suitable for such on-site investigation purpose. In this study, we propose a new single-pieced, fully air-driven pseudo blood pressure generator that is suitable for frequent on-site pre-screening tests of the blood pressure monitor by nurses.ResultsThe proposed model comprises a rigid cylindrical body, two simulated brachial arteries, two air-pumps, an electronic controller, and a pressure sensor. Control algorithm based on polynomial curve fitting was implemented to generate various user-instructed systolic blood pressure and heart-rate conditions automatically. To evaluate the performance and clinical feasibility of the proposed model, various experiments were performed using ten commercial electronic blood pressure monitors. Experimental results demonstrated that the values of the Pearson coefficient between the reference pseudo-blood pressure waveforms and the actually generated pressure waveforms were 0.983, 0.983 and 0.997 at 60, 70 and 80 beats/min, respectively (p < 0.05). Besides, during the experiments using ten commercial blood pressure monitors, the maximum error in average systolic blood pressure was 2.9 mmHg, the maximum standard deviation in average systolic blood pressure was 3.5 mmHg, and the maximum percentage error in average pumping rate was 3.2%, respectively.ConclusionsWe expect that the proposed model can give an easy and comprehensive way for frequent on-site investigations of the blood pressure monitors by nurses, and improve the safety of patients with abnormal blood pressure, especially in most large-scale hospitals.

Highlights

It is crucial to frequently inspect the proper operation of non-invasive electronic blood pressure monitors in various sites to prevent accidents from inaccurate blood pressure measurements, especially for large-scale hospitals
In large-scale hospitals, experts from the engineering department should periodically examine all of the Blood pressure (BP) monitors in the hospital using inspection devices; when the estimated error is beyond the permitted limit, they send it to the authorized inspection agency for fine-tuning
Eq (2) and the measurements of the pressure sensor in the implemented model when the P RREF was adjusted to 60, 70 and 80 beats per minute (BPM) while the SBPREF was fixed to 120 mmHg

Summary

Introduction

It is crucial to frequently inspect the proper operation of non-invasive electronic blood pressure monitors in various sites to prevent accidents from inaccurate blood pressure measurements, especially for large-scale hospitals. In large-scale hospitals (with hundreds or thousands beds), experts from the engineering department should periodically examine all of the BP monitors in the hospital using inspection devices; when the estimated error is beyond the permitted limit, they send it to the authorized inspection agency for fine-tuning. For this case, the best way to guarantee the proper operation of BP monitors is to inspect each device more frequently (e.g., weekly or monthly). The interval of periodic BP monitor inspection is generally once per a year, which may not sufficient to guarantee the proper operation because there are many error sources in actual circumstances such as scratch in the cuff, error in embedded pressure sensor or other electronic parts, and degradation of mechanical parts due to aging

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