Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing a non-invasive and user-friendly wearable

device for monitoring blood pressure, blood glucose, and biomarkers, which could improve quality of life, 

decrease healthcare expenditure, and allow for early intervention for potentially serious diseases. 

 

Currently, a major area of interest within the medical wearable device industry is the real-time monitoring

of blood pressure. More than 100 million adults in the United States and a third of the worldwide population

suffer from high blood pressure. The disease causes more than 79,000 deaths annually and is the most

common cause of cardiovascular-related deaths. Treatment for high blood pressure commonly comprises

lifestyle changes and administration of drugs. However, these remedies do not cure the disease and it must

be monitored daily to prevent various complications. Presently, blood pressure monitoring at

home is accomplished via several commercially available monitoring systems. These devices are reliable

and accurate, but they are bulky and troublesome. Hence, the development of a wearable device that

continuously monitors and records blood pressure and other biological parameters would help improve

patient care and compliance.

 

The conceptualized, wearable device uses ultrasound to non-invasively monitor various

physiological parameters (e.g., blood pressure, blood glucose, ECG) within the body. It utilizes

ultrasound imaging. For example, B-mode ultrasound imaging analyzes the changes

in the acoustic properties of tissues. Thus, it can detect abnormalities via analyzing shapes and motion

of biological structures under the skin including subtle changes in tissue texture5. B-mode imaging

determines granular patterns, known as speckle, as a result of the coherent accumulation of random

scattering within a cell. The invention also integrates Doppler imaging, image scattering, and machine

learning to aid in the measurement of biologic parameters.

Submission Date
Reference Number
R20-057
Contact
Natasha Sanford