The research team at Rice University has developed Sphygmo, an automatic blood pressure monitor to be used for the monitoring and diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, particularly in low-resource settings where current blood pressure monitoring is limited. This study aims to evaluate the capabilities of the device in the setting for which it was designed - a low-resource hospital.
This study will compare the Sphygmo device to a commercially available automatic blood pressure monitor that is used in pre-eclamptic women. The main objective of this study is to determine whether the Sphygmo device correctly identifies instances where blood pressure measurement meets the diagnostic criteria for mild or severe pre-eclampsia during monitoring of at-risk mothers. Additionally, this study aims to understand the frequency and type of any complications associated with use of the Sphygmo in a resource-limited clinical setting.
The study will include 20 eligible and consenting women at QECH who are clinically identified as at-risk for pre-eclampsia or have already been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia by their doctors. All participants will undergo the same protocol (monitoring with both Sphygmo and the commercially available device). First, a nurse will fit a Sphygmo device cuff on one arm of the subject and the commercially available device cuff on the opposite arm. A trained research assistant will be continuously on hand to assist the nurse in the device setup and record the blood pressure measurements and any alarm indications made by each device. Blood pressure measurements by Sphygmo and the commercially available device will continue until monitoring is no longer clinically prescribed. In addition, blood pressure will be taken via clinical auscultatory measurement with a stethoscope and aneroid gauge at regular intervals. This third method will help us confirm the accuracy of the two devices. All clinical decisions will be made according to the commercially available device's measurements.
The key results of the study will be the ability of the Sphygmo device to identify blood pressure levels corresponding to mild and severe pre-eclampsia. Additionally, the investigators will document any user errors or device malfunction. These results will provide information on the performance and ease of use of the device and will also alert the research team of any necessary changes needed for the device.
