Pulse oximeters able to read PA also: researchers

Vancouver, November 22 After a few adjustments, pulse oximeters can very soon become blood pressure monitoring tools, suggests joint research undertaken in Canadian and Chinese health facilities.

Previous studies have considered the use of oximeters for blood pressure assessment, but the University of British Columbia (UBC) study is the first to provide evidence from patients and the first to examine large samples obtained in two different countries.

"We found that the oximeter, which attaches to a finger or toe to measure heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood, can detect normal, high or elevated blood pressure with a accuracy of up to 95%, "said lead researcher Mohamed Elgendi, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UBC.

"This suggests that he may, with some modifications, play a dual role as a BP monitor," he added in an article described in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, Biosensors, Diagnostics, and Scientific Data.

For analysis, the UBC team examined the oximeter records of 121 patients registered at a Boston hospital and 219 admitted to a hospital in Guilin Province of China.

They used the information from the oximeter as part of a single mathematical program that they had developed and found nine electrical signatures, or patterns, significantly correlated with hypertension.

"The constant presence of these models in data collected in two different countries proves that the pulse oximeter is a reliable tool for assessing hypertension," Elgendi said. "When we added the electrocardiogram data to the oximeter data, we were able to improve the detection of pre-hypertension."

Elgendi and his team are working to replicate their studies of other patient groups in the coming months.

They are also refining their algorithm so that it can be used on a larger scale by the manufacturers of oximeters.

"Although the inflatable cuff is easy to use, its accuracy depends on its placement on the arm and the skill of the observer," Elgendi said.

Another technique, the measurement of intra-arterial blood pressure, is very precise but invasive, requiring the doctor to insert a needle into an artery, he added.

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