Pulse oximetry represents a ubiquitous clinical application of optics in modern medicine. Recent studies have raised concerns regarding the potential impact of confounders, such as variable skin pigmentation and perfusion, on blood oxygen saturation measurement accuracy in pulse oximeters. Tissue-mimicking phantom testing offers a low-cost, well-controlled solution for characterizing device performance and studying potential error sources, which may thus reduce the need for costly in vivo trials. The purpose of this study was to develop realistic phantom-based test methods for pulse oximetry. Material optical and mechanical properties were reviewed, selected, and tuned for optimal biological relevance, e.g., oxygenated tissue absorption and scattering, strength, elasticity, hardness, and other parameters representing the human finger’s geometry and composition, such as blood vessel size and distribution, and perfusion. Relevant anatomical and physiological properties are summarized and implemented toward the creation of a preliminary finger phantom. To create a preliminary finger phantom, we synthesized a high-compliance silicone matrix with scatterers for embedding flexible tubing and investigated the addition of these scatterers to novel 3D printing resins for optical property control without altering mechanical stability, streamlining the production of phantoms with biologically relevant characteristics. Phantom utility was demonstrated by applying dynamic, pressure waveforms to produce tube volume change and resultant photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. 3D printed phantoms achieved more biologically relevant conditions compared to molded phantoms. These preliminary results indicate that the phantoms show strong potential to be developed into tools for evaluating pulse oximetry performance. Gaps, recommendations, and strategies are presented for continued phantom development.
Laser-Based Noncontact Blood Pressure Estimation Using Human Body Displacement Waveforms
Measurement of the body's displacement at multiple positions allows heart pulse wave propagation to be observed; this is an important step toward noncontact blood pressure measurement. This study investigates the feasibility of performing blood pressure measurements using skin displacement waveforms measured at two positions on a human body. To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed approach, this study uses a pair of laser displacement sensors to enable precise pulse transit time measurement. By comparing the displacement waveforms from the two sensors, the relationship between pulse transit time and blood pressure was evaluated. It is demonstrated experimentally that the blood pressure can be estimated with accuracy of 5.1 mmHg, which is equivalent to the error of an ordinary cuff-type blood pressure monitor.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2039089
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10357302
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2022 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium - IMS 2022
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1020 to 1022
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1109/IMS37962.2022.9865553
