Digital Signal Processing of the Wideband External Pulse Recorded During Cuff Deflation: a New Way to Measure Blood Pressure

A new method of measuring blood pressure (BP) is presented. This technique involves automatic analysis of the wideband external pulse (WEP) recorded by a pressure sensor positioned over the brachial artery during standard BP cuff deflation. Three distinct components of this "K" or "WEP" signal can be defined: K1, K2, and K3 [1]. Each component has a different shape and "appearance/disappearance" property. K1 is a low frequency inaudible signal present with cuff pressure above systolic. The K2 signal appears at SP and disappears at DP (K2-algorithm) and can be used to measure BP. Using this property, the "K2-algorithm" has been shown to be more accurate than the auscultatory technique [1]. To implement an automatic measurement using the K2-algorithm, signal processing techniques are applied to K signals