Pressure Sensor to Record Blood Pressure

Researchers at the University of Leicester and scientists in Singapore have jointly created a sensor that can be attached to the wrist of a patient to determine and monitor the blood pressure of the central aortic systolic pressure or CASP that is near the heart and brain.

The device senses the pulse wave, which is then transmitted through a central computer network to scientists or physicians to assess accurate pressure readings. It can be worn around the wrist like a watch. The pressure close to the heart and brain causes the most damage, and is seldom as the one read from the arm. The solution will prove useful to accurately read the pressure values of young people, whose readings by the arm method are normally incorrect.

The research, led by Bryan Williams, Professor of Medicine at the University of Leicester and consultant physician at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, received £3.4million from the Department of Health's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to set up a Biomedical Research Unit at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.