MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Michael Bent



Abstract

Hypertension is characterized by prolonged force against arterial walls that results in atypically elevated levels of blood pressure. This condition currently hinders the lives of one in every three Americans. Additionally, the American Heart Association has lowered their definition for hypertension from 140/100 mmHg to 130/90 mmHg in order to classify and treat more patients as hypertensive earlier in their disease progression. Visiting the doctor to track your hypertension is costly and time consuming. Home methods are intermittent measurements and not portable and cannot trend your BP over the course of the day passively. The following study explores the possibility of continuously monitoring blood pressure by implementing principles of fluids, optics, thermodynamics, and magnetism. The speed at which a pulse wave propagates through an artery is directly proportional to the pressure that the blood is exerting on the vessel walls. Various methods of monitoring pulse wave velocity (PWV) using sensors such as electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram (PPG), and accelerometers. A wide range of subjects will be recruited in order to test how PWV changes with increased arterial stiffness that increases with age. This data will be recorded and analyzed in order to derive accurate blood pressure estimations through appropriate algorithms and conversion models. They will be compared to a control measurement taken from a continuous finger cuff blood pressure monitoring device called the ccNexfin. By prioritizing comfort, accuracy, and convenience, the team aspires to develop a method of measuring blood pressure that improves upon existing devices.



Reader’s Profile

I imagine this reader to be a Gemstone Freshman who has been assigned to read our thesis and write a reflection for a GEMS 100 class assignment.

Reader’s Response

When reading this paper I felt lost and confused when reading so many abbreviations and topics that weren’t explained well. I also felt like there wasn’t enough explanation about the physical properties that make this possible as well. Perhaps existing study results could be presented in a more convincing manner that emphasize that the feasibility of this technology has already been established. It seems as if the team has chosen PTT as their method of solving the continuous blood pressure monitoring solution rather than examining other possible methods and solutions. This technology would be beneficial to old people with high BP but how does it apply to me? Can they incorporate it into an Apple Watch or a FitBit?

PS: I understand that this tech would be awesome in a wearable. However, my Gemstone team does not have the capability for developing such a device in the span of our undergraduate years. That is why it is not mentioned in the abstract yet it will be talked about in the conclusion of our final thesis.

M, can you address by having a glossary at the end of each chapter? Would your PI allow that? This could be a good approach, more generally in Gemstone and you could propose this to Dr. Coales, actually.


Also, you can tell this audience in a more formal way that your work is a proof of concept approach, a time-honored way to put forth elaborate and research-based ideas to prepare for a prototype.