AI-driven system for non-contact continuous nocturnal blood pressure monitoring using fiber optic ballistocardiography

Abstract

Continuous monitoring of nocturnal blood pressure is crucial for hypertension management and cardiovascular risk assessment. However, current clinical methods are invasive and discomforting, posing challenges. These traditional techniques often disrupt sleep, impacting patient compliance and measurement accuracy. Here we introduce a non-contact system for continuous monitoring of nocturnal blood pressure, utilizing ballistocardiogram signals. The key component of this system is the utilization of advanced, flexible fiber optic sensors designed to capture medical-grade ballistocardiogram signals accurately. Our artificial intelligence model extracts deep learning and fiducial features with physical meanings and implements an efficient, lightweight personalization scheme on the edge device. Furthermore, the system incorporates a crucial algorithm to automatically detect the user’s sleeping posture, ensuring accurate measurement of nocturnal blood pressure. The model underwent rigorous evaluation using open-source and self-collected datasets comprising 158 subjects, demonstrating its effectiveness across various blood pressure ranges, demographic groups, and sleep states. This innovative system, suitable for real-world unconstrained sleeping scenarios, allows for enhanced hypertension screening and management and provides new insights for clinical research into cardiovascular complications.