In a collaborative project with American and Chinese scientists, the UBC researchers ran oximeter information through a mathematical program they had developed, despite the oximeter not being generally used for such purposes.

“We found that the oximeter, which clips on to a finger or toe to measure heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood, can detect normal, elevated or high blood pressure with up to 95 per cent accuracy,” said lead researcher Mohamed Elgendi, an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering at UBC.

According to Elgendi, the UBC study is the first to provide supportive evidence based on actual patient records and the first to examine large sample sizes obtained in two different countries, despite past studies having explored using oximeters for blood pressure assessment.

For their analysis, the UBC team examined oximeter records from 121 patients registered at a hospital in Boston, and 219 admitted to a hospital in the Chinese province of Guilin. Subsequently, results found nine electrical signatures, or patterns, that correlated significantly with hypertension.

“The consistent presence of these patterns in data collected from two different countries proves that the pulse oximeter is a reliable tool for hypertension assessment,” said Elgendi. “When we added electrocardiogram data to oximeter data, we were able to improve the detection of pre-hypertension.”

According to studies, hypertension or high blood pressure is linked to 1,100 deaths each day in the US alone, therefore it is critical to regularly monitor people at risk, with Elgendi saying the challenge is that current blood pressure monitoring methods have their limitations.

“While the inflatable cuff is easy to use, its accuracy depends on its placement on the arm and the observer’s skill,” said Elgendi. “Another technique, intra-arterial blood pressure measurement, is highly accurate but invasive, requiring the doctor to insert a needle into an artery.”

Elgendi and his team are working on replicating their studies on other groups of patients over the next several months, refining their algorithm so that it can be used on a larger scale by oximeter manufacturers.

“With the addition of our algorithm and a few other changes, it’s entirely feasible to produce a science-based oximeter that provides highly accurate blood pressure assessment – hopefully contributing to faster detection of hypertension and potentially saving lives,” said Elgendi.

In September, researchers at the University of California (UC) San Diego developed a wearable ultrasound patch that non-invasively monitors blood pressure in arteries deep beneath the skin and could help detect cardiovascular problems earlier on.

In a collaborative project with American and Chinese scientists, the UBC researchers ran oximeter information through a mathematical program they had developed, despite the oximeter not being generally used for such purposes.

“We found that the oximeter, which clips on to a finger or toe to measure heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood, can detect normal, elevated or high blood pressure with up to 95 per cent accuracy,” said lead researcher Mohamed Elgendi, an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering at UBC.

According to Elgendi, the UBC study is the first to provide supportive evidence based on actual patient records and the first to examine large sample sizes obtained in two different countries, despite past studies having explored using oximeters for blood pressure assessment.

For their analysis, the UBC team examined oximeter records from 121 patients registered at a hospital in Boston, and 219 admitted to a hospital in the Chinese province of Guilin. Subsequently, results found nine electrical signatures, or patterns, that correlated significantly with hypertension.

“The consistent presence of these patterns in data collected from two different countries proves that the pulse oximeter is a reliable tool for hypertension assessment,” said Elgendi. “When we added electrocardiogram data to oximeter data, we were able to improve the detection of pre-hypertension.”

According to studies, hypertension or high blood pressure is linked to 1,100 deaths each day in the US alone, therefore it is critical to regularly monitor people at risk, with Elgendi saying the challenge is that current blood pressure monitoring methods have their limitations.

“While the inflatable cuff is easy to use, its accuracy depends on its placement on the arm and the observer’s skill,” said Elgendi. “Another technique, intra-arterial blood pressure measurement, is highly accurate but invasive, requiring the doctor to insert a needle into an artery.”

Elgendi and his team are working on replicating their studies on other groups of patients over the next several months, refining their algorithm so that it can be used on a larger scale by oximeter manufacturers.

“With the addition of our algorithm and a few other changes, it’s entirely feasible to produce a science-based oximeter that provides highly accurate blood pressure assessment – hopefully contributing to faster detection of hypertension and potentially saving lives,” said Elgendi.

In September, researchers at the University of California (UC) San Diego developed a wearable ultrasound patch that non-invasively monitors blood pressure in arteries deep beneath the skin and could help detect cardiovascular problems earlier on.