Cuffless Blood Pressure Measurement: Back to the Future?
The first attempts to measure blood pressure with devices dating from the end of the 19th century, such as the sphymograph, focused on the blood pressure wave at the level of the wrist. When Riva-Rocci used an upper arm cuff to occlude the brachial artery that was attached to a mercury sphygmomanometer, he induced a major paradigm shift that is still anchored today in the measurement of blood pressure, whether the auscultatory or the oscillometry techniques are used. However, these techniques are not devoid of bias and necessitate a standardized procedure most of the time in order to obtain reproducible blood pressure measurement. Research on cuffless blood pressure measurement is fast-growing due to its potential to improve awareness, management, and control of blood pressure, which are far from optimal worldwide.
This Article Collection is important for several reasons. First, despite all our effort to screen, to diagnose, and to treat hypertension, epidemiologic data around the world shows that our efficiency should be improved. Cuffless blood pressure monitoring, especially if the measurement itself is made easy for the patient, has the potential to change the picture. Nevertheless, as with all new devices, issues relating to accuracy, usability, and in the case of blood pressure measurement, association with target organ disease and cardiovascular morbi-mortality are paramount.
Guest advisors
Gregoire Wuerzner(Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland)
Prof. Gregoire Wuerzner is a nephrologist and hypertension specialist. He is a member of the working group on blood pressure monitoring and cardiovascular variability. He is the president of the Swiss Society of Hypertension. His research activity is focused on brain-kidney interactions, cuffless blood pressure monitoring, and adherence to antihypertensive drugs.
Grzegorz Bilo(University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy)