Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring using Pulse Wave Transit Time

In this paper, we describe the method of non-invasive blood pressure measurement using pulse wave transit time(PWTT). PWTT is a new parameter involved with a vascular that can indicate the change of BP. PWTT is measured by continuous monitoring of ECG and pulse wave. No additional sensors or modules are required. In many cases, the change of PWTT correlates with the change of BP. We measure pulse wave using the photo plethysmograph(PPG) sensor in an earlobe and we measure ECG using the ECG monitoring device our made in the chest. The measurement device for detecting pulse wave consists of infrared LED for transmitted light illumination, pin photodiode as light detector, amplifier and filter. We composed 0.5Hz high pass, 60Hz notch and 10Hz low pass filter. ECG measurement device consists of multiplexer, amplifier, filter, micro-controller and RF module. After amplification and filtering, ECG signal and pulse wave is fed through micro-controller. We performed the initial work towards the development of ambulatory BP monitoring system using PWTT. An earlobe is suitable place to measure PPG signal without the restraint in daily work. From the results, we can know that the dependence of PWTT on BP is almost linear and it is possible to monitoring an individual BP continuously after the individual calibration.