Recently, Maxim Integrated Products Inc. is a company that focuses on developing mixed-signal and analog products to make the devices of commonly used devices more portable with increased efficiency and security, has introduced a solid-state solution that can measure blood pressure with high accuracy and may replace heavy and bulky machinery that is previously used in the determination of this health indicator.
Consequently, design engineers now have the option to develop this blood-pressure trending solution by using Maxim’s design known as MAXREFDES220#. The reference design can be incorporated in a variety of devices ranging from smartphones to wearable technological items. The MAXREFDES220# design code comprises a microcontroller sensor hub, integrated optical sensor module, and a sensing algorithm.
Furthermore, the code also contains MAX30101 or MAX30102 which is a powerful optical sensor along with MAX32664D sensor hub IC that comes with built-in algorithms. These enable the user to check their blood pressure any time of the day and at any place by simply placing their finger on the selected device for around thirty to forty seconds.
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The combination of MAX30101 (that includes two LEDs) and MAX30102 (that includes three LEDs) pulse-oximeter also adds photodetectors, heart-rate optical sensor modules, analog front-end (AFE) electronics with an integrated cover glass, and LEDs. This design makes an optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in a smaller, more portable and efficient device possible. The design can be used to develop a small-sized, around 5.6mm x 3.3mm 14-pin, optical package with an I2C interface to the sensor hub IC.
Additionally, MAX32664D sensor hub IC contains firmware which is primarily responsible for the execution of the incorporated algorithms as well as the sensors which is further needed for measuring blood-oxygen content, cuffless blood pressure, and heart rate. MAX32664D is around 1.6mm x 1.6mm and can be easily added to any device.
The MAXREFDES220# device meets the required standard for accuracy levels. Precisely, it measures up to the Class-II regulatory limits. Usage of the device in resting conditions can provide the following accurate results:
- Diastolic Error: Mean = 0.1mmHg, Std Dev = 7.6mmHg
- Systolic Error: Mean = 1.7mmHg, Std Dev = 7.4mmHg
- For reference, Class-II regulatory limits are |Mean Error| ≤ 5mmHg and Std Dev ≤ 8mmHg
According to research and testing, the solution needs to be calibrated once every four weeks. It is also easy to obtain on any device as the algorithms in it only use ultra-low-power dedicated sensor hub microcontroller. Hence, there is no need to integrate new codes into an application processor during its marketing.
A person buying the device can measure blood-pressure without using heavy machinery with accurate and faster results. Additionally, the design is a user-friend and comes with an optical system design guidance which can make it easy for any new person to perform a finger blood-test without any difficulty.
With Class-II regulatory limits, Maxim Integrated Products’ new design can give an alternative option to people with certain health conditions to regularly check their blood pressure in a much faster and easier manner in comparison with the current devices that are used to monitor blood pressure, blood-oxygen level, and heart rate.
