Oscillometric measurement of arterial pulse pressure for patients supported by a rotary blood pump

A computer model has been developed to evaluate the accuracy of an oscillometric method to measure the arterial pulse pressure from a patient with a rotary ventricular assist device (VAD). This computer model consists of three major components: the cardiovascular system, the HeartMate II VAD, and the operation of an automated cuff. Simulation was performed to mimic failure, recovery, and normal cardiac functions of a patient, supported by the HeartMate II VAD at different levels from minimum to maximum. The oscillating cuff pressure, simulating the air pressure of a deflecting cuff, was obtained from simulation under different conditions to test the accuracy of an oscillometric algorithm in determining the arterial pulse pressure. The algorithm was able to detect the systolic and diastolic arterial pressure with the error within ±2 mmHg in most cases, except the cases when ventricular suction, induced by the VAD, occurred. The results from this study suggested that the oscillometric algorithm is capable to accurately detect the arterial pulse pressure for a rotary VAD patient if the algorithm is properly tuned.