IP Requirement: Emory IP

Experience Requirement:

– Mechanical Design

– Potentially Electronics

– Rapid Prototyping

The first part of almost all doctor’s visits is obtaining vitals, importantly, blood pressure (BP). Many patients come into clinic surprised by their blood pressure readings. Some take their blood pressure daily with home cuffs and the discrepancy between clinic and at-home readings is chalked up to be “calibration error”. However, there is currently no easy way to calibrate blood pressure cuffs.

Current means of calibrating blood pressure cuffs/machines are not straight forward. Some machines have a self-calibration tool, while other BP cuffs have to be assessed directly by the manufacturer or by a professional calibration service. Other means include comparing to a manual cuff or a bulky process with involving parts/tools. The American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines on checking calibration of a home BP cuff is time consuming requiring a visit to their clinician’s office and 5 sequential measurements. Although blood pressure readings are universal, there is no universal approach to calibrating this important machinery.

The goal of this project is to come up with an easy solution to calibrate any blood pressure cuff that anyone can use. This solution would be readily marketable to clinics and consumers alike and be poised to make a lasting impact in the monitoring of the over 120 million people affected by high blood pressure in the United States.