Accuracy of oscillometric-based blood pressure monitoring devices: impact of pulse volume, arrhythmia, and respiratory artifact.

Abstract

An oscillometric waveform (OMW) envelope-based blood pressure (BP) monitoring device is widely used to monitor blood pressure and prevent hypertension and adverse cardiovascular events. At present, all primary care physicians and clinicians widely recommend oscillometric-based BP devices. The consumer selects the device based on their own decision, without knowing whether the device is validated or not, resulting in over- or under-treatment of hypertension. It is imperative that each device must comply with international protocols. In this study, we have investigated the accuracy of inflation and deflation-based oscillometric BP monitoring devices in the case of sinus rhythm (SR). Since different health conditions of the patient affect the oscillometric waveform, which can affect the device's accuracy, in such cases, many BP monitors are skeptical of succeeding in the norms of international protocols. Therefore, this study also aims to calculate the accuracy of these devices in various health conditions and measure the effect of pulse volume, arrhythmia, and respiratory artifact on it using a non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) simulator. We found that the oscillometric BP devices failed to measure the correct blood pressure in several clinical conditions.