Abstract: In a method for automatic non-invasive monitoring of a patient's blood pressure a cuff is applied around an arm of the patient and inflated to a predetermined pressure, whereafter the pressure in said cuff is stepwise reduced and the applied pressure is held constant at each step until at least one oscillation caused by a heartbeat has occurred. In such a method, the systolic and/or diastolic and/or mean blood pressure are determined on the basis of the relations of the amplitudes or peak values of the oscillations at the various pressure steps. In order to avoid errors in the blood pressure determination due to artifacts, a first aspect of the invention provides for a spectral analyzer for pressure signal frequencies between 6 and 10 Hz. When this analyzer detects spectral signal components of the pressure signal in the pressure channel above a specific amplitude limit, the instantaneous oscillation is rejected.

Abstract: In a method for automatic non-invasive monitoring of a patient's blood pressure, a cuff is applied around an arm of the patient and inflated to a predetermined pressure. Thereafter the pressure applied to said cuff is stepwise reduced. On the basis of the amplitudes or peak-to-peak values of the oscillations of the pressure signal measured at the individual pressure steps, a blood pressure value is derived. In order to be able to take arrhythmias into consideration in such a measurement method, oscillations that have been recognized to be artifact-free are sorted in accordance with various criteria, whereupon the frequency is determined with which the oscillations fulfill these criteria. Depending on the frequency with which the criteria are fulfilled, specific oscillations are selected whose mean value is utilized for determining the blood pressure.

Abstract: In a method for automatic non-invasive monitoring of a patient's blood pressure a cuff is applied around an arm of the patient and inflated to a predetermined pressure, whereafter the pressure in said cuff is stepwise reduced and the applied pressure is held constant at each step until at least one oscillation caused by a heartbeat has occurred. In such a method, the systolic and/or diastolic and/or mean blood pressure are determined on the basis of the relations of the amplitudes or peak values of the oscillations at the various pressure steps. In order to avoid errors in the blood pressure determination due to artifacts, a first aspect of the invention provides for a spectral analyzer for pressure signal frequencies between 6 and 10 Hz. When this analyzer detects spectral signal components of the pressure signal in the pressure channel above a specific amplitude limit, the instantaneous oscillation is rejected.

Abstract: A non-invasive automatic blood pressure monitor uses the oscillometric technique. That is, a cuff is inflated and then deflated in discrete deflation steps, while the oscillations caused by movement of the arterial walls are recorded during each deflation step. If no oscillations occur, the deflation step is interrupted when a predetermined time period (t.sub.max) has expired. According to the invention, said predetermined time period (t.sub.max) is varied according to the heart rate (step 13). This leads to considerable reduction of required time for each measurement.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for automatic oscillometric blood pressure measuring determines a sequence of peak amplitudes. Two points p.sub.e1, p.sub.e2 are evaluated on an envelope (10) of said peak sequence, said points p.sub.e1, p.sub.e2 are the base for determining blood pressure values such as mean, diastolic and systolic pressures.

Abstract: A method of non-invasive blood pressure measuring is conducted in the so-called stat mode, wherein several subsequent measurement cycles occur. A next subsequent blood pressure measuring cycle starts at a time that is a function of a cycle specific time interval length of a preceding measuring cycle. An apparatus comprising a time delay module for retarding start of a next cycle, a time increment register for storing a cycle specific time interval length of a preceding measuring cycle. The time delay module allows start of a next subsequent cycle as a function of the time interval length of the preceding cycle.

Abstract: A monitor for the automated non-invasive measurement of a patient's blood pressure comprising apparatus for automatically inflating and deflating a cuff which is to be applied around a patient's extremity, first and second pressure sensors coupled to the airway of said cuff, each providing an electronic signal indicative of cuff pressure, and a processor responding to the signals obtained by said pressure sensors for stopping the inflation of the cuff when a maximum cuff pressure is reached, and for calculating the blood pressure from the oscillations of the pressure signal. A memory is connected to said processor in which calibration values indicating the pressure related to the electronic signals provided by each of said two pressure sensors are stored.

Abstract: A method of non-invasive blood measuring is conducted according to the oscillometric method. The size of the decremental steps .DELTA.p.sub.def of a certain measuring cycle C.sub.1+1 is a function of subject's actual blood pressure of the preceding measuring cycle c.sub.i.