Digital signal processing of the wideband external pulse recorded during cuff deflation: a new way to measure blood pressure.

Aa new method of measuring blood pressure (BP) is presented. This technique involves automatic analysis of the wideband external pulse (WEP) recorded by a pressure sensor positioned over the brachial artery during standard BP cuff deflation. Three distinct components of this "K" or "WEP" signal can be defined: K1, K2, and K3 [1]. Each component has a different shape and "appearance/disappearance property. K1 is a low frequency inaudible signal present with cuff pressure above systolic. The K2 signal appears at SP and disappears at Dp (K2-algorithm) and can be used to measure BP. Using this property, the "K2-algorithm" has been shown to be more accurate than the auscultatory technique [1]. To implement an automatic measurement using the K2-algorithm, signal processing techniques are applied to K signals.