OptiBP: A novel optical smartphone application for measuring Hypertension

OptiBP which is a new optical smartphone application showed almost similar values to the invasively measured blood pressure values as per a new study published in BMC Anesthesiology. The values were according to the AAMI/ISO universal standards for mean arterial pressure (MAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP). The error risk was also in zone A and B of the error grid. 

Arterial hypertension is a global public health concern. The oscillometric method is presently used for diagnosing and monitoring non-invasively. Better screening and monitoring of hypertension occurs when the same can be done using a smartphone application. So, researchers conducted an observational study on intensive care unit patients by comparing the arterial blood pressure values obtained using a new optical smartphone application called the OptiBP™ as the test method and with that obtained using a radial artery catheter as the reference method to help validate the technology. 

Three BP values were measured every hour for five consecutive hours on two consecutive days using both the smartphone and arterial methods. Bland-Altman and error grid analyses were used for agreement analysis between both approaches. The performance of the smartphone application was investigated using the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) definitions, which require the bias ± SD between two technologies to be below 5 ± 8 mmHg.