A Novel Calibration Method for Noninvasive Blood Pressure Measurement Using Pulse Transit Time

This paper proposes a new calibration method for arterial blood pressure (BP) estimation using pulse transit time (PTT). Different from the traditional calibration methods, this new approach features a fast and convenient procedure by modeling the effects on distal arteries of external pressure applied by upper arm cuff. Two rounds of experiments (about two months apart) were conducted on eleven healthy subjects. The results show that the obtained calibration curves can predict the mean BP within 4.5plusmn6.6mmHg of the reference for all the tested subjects during steady state and immediately after exercise. It is also found that the new method has good repeatability within two months. The preliminary results indicate that the new approach has the potential to be used for noninvasive and cuffless measurement of arterial BP in wearable devices.