Patent ID: 6190325
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A blood-pressure monitoring apparatus comprising:a measuring device which includes an inflatable cuff adapted to apply a pressing pressure to a body portion of a living subject and which measures at least one blood-pressure value of the living subject by changing the pressing pressure of the inflatable cuff;a pulse-wave-propagation-relating-information obtaining device which 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;estimating means for iteratively estimating a blood-pressure value of the living subject, based on each piece of pulse-wave-propagation-relating information of a plurality of pieces of pulse-wave-propagation-relating information obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-relating-information obtaining device, according to a predetermined relationship between pulse-wave-propagation-relating information and blood pressure;starting means for starting, when a value based on the estimated blood-pressure value does not fall within a predetermined first range, a blood-pressure measurement of the measuring device;index-value calculating means for calculating, based on said at least one blood-pressure value of the living subject measured by the measuring device, an index value indicative of a hardness of a blood vessel of the living subject; andrange changing means for changing, when the calculated index value does not fall within a predetermined second range, the predetermined first range to a changed first range which is contained in the predetermined first range and is narrower than the predetermined first range.