Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) is a widely used vital sign for cardiovascular assessment. Vital signs monitors obtain a non-invasive blood pressure measurement through the use of commercially available OEM blood pressure modules incorporated into their devices. These devices typically employ the oscillometric technique for the determination of blood pressure. NIBP devices approved for clinical use are tested for compliance to standards, including the AAMI/ANSI SP10-2002.

The MAXNIBP® algorithm enhances the oscillometric NIBP measurement process at each step, including pulse detection, pulse qualification, artifact detection, and step qualification.
Although the devices are validated clinically, this testing does not represent the true performance of the NIBP Module when operated in real-life conditions, including the presence of motion artifact that occurs, for example, during patient transport or when the patient may be subject to motion (shivering, tremors).

Critical to an accurate and reliable NIBP measurement is the understanding that every pressure pulse detected may not be caused by the flow of blood into the patient’s limb. Strategies must be employed to manage a wide variety of false pressure pulses. A clear differentiator when evaluating NIBP technology is an assessment of these strategies during NIBP measurement with a high degree of motion artifact present. An understanding of the technology and level of sophistication employed by the OEM NIBP Module is critical to properly assess the device’s ability to render clinically reliable, timely, and accurate measurement.

Hospital grade OEM NIBP Modules combine the clinically validated (SP10) oscillometric step deflation method with proprietary MAXNIBP® Technology to provide documented superior performance, measurement accuracy, and motion artifact extraction technology.

Throughout the entire oscillometric measurement process, CASMED’s proprietary MAXNIBP (Motion Artifact eXtraction) algorithm uses highly complex pulse matching criteria and analysis tools to manage noise artifact that can occur with movement of the patient’s arm, touching of the blood pressure cuff, tremor, shivering, transport and vehicle motion, etc., offering patient safety, performance, reliability, and measurement accuracy in the most challenging clinical environments.

The MAXNIBP Module is a self-contained, medical-grade system, combining hardware and software into a single platform. To help quantify the superior performance characteristics of CASMED’s MAXNIBP OEM Module, a product comparison study was performed which superimposed motion and artifact onto the oscillometric blood pressure signal. The study provided replication and analysis of conditions typically seen in a clinical environment associated with tremor, shivering, and patient transport. Study results indicated the CASMED MAXNIBP OEM Module performed at a significantly higher level than its competitors when comparing parameters such as measurement success, number of completed measurements, measurement accuracy (standard deviation), and measurement time.

This technology was done by CAS Medical Systems, Branford, CT. For more information, Click Here .