Research Article
Low-Cost Blood Pressure Monitor Device for Developing Countries
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-642-29734-2_46, author={Carlos Arteta and Jo\"{a}o Domingos and Marco Pimentel and Mauro Santos and Corentin Chiffot and David Springer and Arvind Raghu and Gari Clifford}, title={Low-Cost Blood Pressure Monitor Device for Developing Countries}, proceedings={Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare. Second International ICST Conference, MobiHealth 2011, Kos Island, Greece, October 5-7, 2011. Revised Selected Papers}, proceedings_a={MOBIHEALTH}, year={2012}, month={10}, keywords={Blood pressure developing countries electronic medical records hypertension mHealth resource-constrained healthcare low-cost devices}, doi={10.1007/978-3-642-29734-2_46} }- Carlos Arteta
João Domingos
Marco Pimentel
Mauro Santos
Corentin Chiffot
David Springer
Arvind Raghu
Gari Clifford
Year: 2012
Low-Cost Blood Pressure Monitor Device for Developing Countries
MOBIHEALTH
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-29734-2_46
Abstract
Taking the Blood Pressure (BP) with a traditional sphygmomanometer requires a trained user. In developed countries, patients who need to monitor their BP at home usually acquire an electronic BP device with an automatic inflate/deflate cycle that determines the BP through the oscillometric method. For patients in resource constrained regions automated BP measurement devices are scarce because supply channels are limited and relative costs are high. Consequently, routine screening for and monitoring of hypertension is not common place. In this project we aim to offer an alternative strategy to measure BP and Heart Rate (HR) in developing countries. Given that mobile phones are becoming increasingly available and affordable in these regions, we designed a system that comprises low-cost peripherals with minimal electronics, offloading the main processing to the phone. A simple pressure sensor passes information to the mobile phone and the oscillometric method is used to determine BP and HR. Data are then transmitted to a central medical record to reduce errors in time stamping and information loss.