The research team has developed 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 monitoring is limited. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the device's blood pressure measurements in pregnant and pre-eclamptic women. This device must be evaluated with the above described population because blood pressure measurement devices are known to perform differently in pregnant and pre-eclamptic women than in normal healthy adults.
This study will take place at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) where up to 70 subjects will be recruited to participate during their regularly scheduled antenatal care checkups.
1. The Patient arm circumference will be measured with measurement tape.
2. The Patient will be seated upright in a comfortable chair with arm at heart level.
3. An arm blood pressure cuff from either the automatic blood pressure monitor or a manual sphygmomanometer will be placed on the left arm of the patient over the brachial artery.
4. Cuff will be inflated to \~200 mmHg and then deflated until measurement concludes.
5. Heart rate will be measured with Tactile Arterial Palpation.
6. Steps 3-4 will be repeated for a total of up to nine measurements, alternating between measurements with the automatic blood pressure monitor and the manual sphygmomanometer. There will be a waiting period of 45-60 seconds between each measurement.
