Device Capable of Reading Multiple Cardiac Vital Signs Offers Smarter Way to Monitor Critical Care Patients

Patients undergoing surgery or intensive care face an increased risk of mortality and prolonged hospital stays due to their vulnerability to hypotension and hemodynamic instability, or irregular blood flow. Such potential complications necessitate continuous monitoring of several cardiac functions by healthcare professionals. However, there's currently no single, user-friendly device in the market capable of measuring the most critical aspects of a patient's cardiovascular health. Researchers are now in the process of developing a multifunctional device that can independently and reliably monitor blood pressure, cardiac output, and ventricular ejection fraction.

The “Smart Cuff” being developed by researchers at University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) is a versatile device designed to monitor multiple cardiac vital signs. The process begins by placing a cuff around the patient's arm and inflating it to the point where blood flow through the brachial artery is halted. Gradual deflation of the cuff generates a waveform - a crucial component of the Smart Cuff. This waveform is used to compute blood pressure. The Smart Cuff, using machine learning inspired by physiology and innovative cuff inflation-deflation patterns, is capable of calculating cardiac output and other significant variables. These include pulse pressure variations and left ventricular ejection fraction, indicating the effectiveness of the heart in pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

“Several hemodynamic monitoring devices are currently available, but they are invasive, manual or nonstandard,” said Ramakrishna Mukkamala, professor of bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. “None have been widely adopted. Smart Cuff, which is worn on a patient’s arm just like a typical blood pressure cuff in critical care, can eliminate all these hurdles and allow for more efficient patient care.”

“Blood pressure is vital for monitoring hypotension and other potential risks to patients, but cardiac output and left ventricular ejection fraction are needed to determine treatment,” Mukkamala added. “Our goal here is to improve a patient’s cardiovascular outcomes and simplify evaluation tools for medical professionals.”

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