Patent ID: 6186953
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: A61B,G16H,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for iteratively estimating an intra-arterial blood-pressure value of a living subject, based on information non-invasively obtained from a circulatory system of the subject, the apparatus comprising:a pulse-wave-propagation-relating-information obtaining device which non-invasively and iteratively obtains a piece of pulse-wave-propagation-relating information relating to propagation of a pulse wave through an arterial vessel of the living subject;a circulation-relating-information obtaining device which non-invasively and iteratively obtains a piece of circulation-relating information comprising at least one of a piece of heartbeat-relating information relating to heartbeat of the living subject and a piece of pulse-wave-area-relating information relating to area of a heartbeat-synchronous pulse of a volumetric pulse wave obtained from a peripheral body portion of the living subject; andblood-pressure estimating means comprising a neural network which learns a plurality of sets of information each set of which comprises a blood-pressure value measured using an inflatable cuff, a piece of pulse-wave-propagation-relating information obtained when the blood-pressure value is measured using the cuff, and at least one of a piece of heartbeat-relating information obtained when the blood-pressure value is measured using the cuff and a piece of pulse-wave-area-relating information obtained when the blood-pressure value is measured using the cuff,the neural network iteratively estimating an intra-arterial blood-pressure value of the living subject, based on each piece of pulse-wave-propagation-relating information iteratively obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-relating-information obtaining device and at least one of each piece of heartbeat-relating information and each piece of pulse-wave-area-relating information which is iteratively obtained by the circulation-relating-information obtaining device.