Noninvasive Estimation of Central Blood Pressure Waveform, Pulse Pressure, and Pulse Wave Velocity Using a Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer (PMUT) Based Wearable Sensor: A Feasibility Study In Vivo
ePoster
Authors: Parth Gami, Columbia University Tuhin Roy, Columbia University Melina Tourni, Columbia University Marco Travagliati, TDK Invensense Leonardo Baldasarre, TDK InvenSense Stephen Bart, TDK-INVENSENSE, INC. Elisa Konofagou, Columbia
There is rising interest in wearable and at-home cardiovascular health monitoring for central blood pressure (CBP) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) monitoring, especially with piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) technology. Conventional methods for blood pressure (BP) estimation are taken at the peripheral arteries, however, BP obtained from central arteries, such as the carotid, could provide better insight into cardiovascular disease risk. This proof-of-concept study employed the combination of a PMUT-based wearable sensor with a previously developed technique for central pulse pressure (PP) estimation, Pulse Wave Ultrasound Manometry (PWUM), and validated results with a medical-grade ultrasound probe. The left and right common carotid arteries of four (n=4) normotensive, healthy subjects were scanned with both the PMUT-based wearable sensor and medical grade probe at the same location. The absolute mean difference in PWV (0.29 ± 0.20 m/s) and carotid PP (1.42 ± 0.88 mmHg) were minimal between the PMUT-based wearable sensor and medical grade probe. This study demonstrates that a PMUT-based wearable sensor with PWUM could provide high quality estimates of carotid PWV and PP. Furthermore, these findings suggest that a combined PMUT and PWUM wearable system could enable convenient and at-home central blood pressure tracking, allowing for early disease diagnosis and treatment response monitoring.