A Novel Blood Pressure Monitoring Device for Ubiquitous Healthcare Services

Hypertension is a world wide issue, and it is now generally accepted that its diurnal pattern has a prognostic significance. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel blood pressure (BP) monitoring device that causes less discomfort and is less disruptive of users´ daily activities than conventional ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) devices. The proposed device is worn at an ear orifice and measures BP at the tragus. This paper first covers the concept of the device, including the validity of measuring BP at the tragus, and describes the device´s newly designed applicator, pad-type cuffs, electric circuit, and pressure reduction method. It then presents a preliminary validation of the basic function as BP measurement device. The developed device causes almost no discomfort and produces signals whose quality is high enough to be used for detecting BP values and useful for health care services.