In the evolving landscape of digital health, blood pressure stands out as a crucial indicator of cardiovascular health, offering insights into the overall well-being of individuals. At IntelliProve, we’re advancing our technology to extract meaningful blood pressure insights from our Face Scan, utilizing remote photoplethysmographic (rPPG) signals. This innovation opens up new possibilities for remote health monitoring, allowing individuals and healthcare providers to better track cardiovascular health in real-time.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the walls of the arteries. With each heartbeat, the heart pumps blood through the vessels, causing them to expand. Blood pressure is measured using two key readings: systolic and diastolic pressure.
Systolic pressure represents the force during a heartbeat, while diastolic pressure reflects the pressure when the heart rests and fills with blood. Together, these measurements provide a valuable snapshot of cardiovascular health, aiding in the early detection of conditions like hypertension, or elevated blood pressure.
What blood pressure reveals about the body
Blood pressure is a direct reflection of the health and flexibility of the arteries. Healthy, elastic arteries adjust easily to blood flow, reducing strain on the heart and helping to maintain normal blood pressure. In contrast, persistently high blood pressure may indicate arterial stiffness and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This makes blood pressure and hypertension essential indicators for preventive health monitoring.
The Blood Pressure & Heart Rate Cycle
Blood pressure and heart rate are closely related within the cardiovascular cycle. Heart rate indicates the frequency of heartbeats, but it’s the blood pressure that shows how forcefully that blood is being pushed.
The link to the rPPG signal
The rPPG signal reflects the dynamics of the blood pressure. During the systole phase the heart contracts and pumps oxygenated blood into the arteries, which ends with the heart valve closing shut. This causes the dicrotic notch. During this phase, the blood pressure rises to its maximum value (i.e. systolic blood pressure).
The diastolic phase is the time during which the heart refills with blood. This phase is longer than the systolic phase. The blood flow in the arteries gradually decreases and the blood pressure drops to its minimum value (i.e. diastolic blood pressure).
With a higher blood pressure, the systolic peak becomes more pronounced due to the increased force of blood being pushed into the arteries. However, as we age, the elasticity of the arterial walls – also known as arterial compliance – reduces, minimising the contrast between the systolic and diastolic phases of an rPPG signal. Since the arteries cannot expand and contract as efficiently, the difference in blood flow between the two phases is smaller , making the rPPG waveform less dynamic overall. These types of features are what allow us to estimate your blood pressure levels, all based on the morphology of the PPG signal.
Use Cases in Digital Health Platforms
Hypertension has become an increasingly prevalent condition, recognized as the leading risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and heart valve diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension is responsible for an estimated 7.5 million deaths annually, accounting for more than 10% of global mortality.
However, the earlier hypertension is detected, the easier it is to manage. Integrating blood pressure insights into digital health platforms can therefore be truly transformative, enabling the identification of underlying hypertension risk and facilitating earlier intervention and more proactive treatment. This is why IntelliProve has been prioritizing research and technological advancements in remote blood pressure insights. Our hypertension risk parameter is the first to remotely assess a user's risk of an elevated blood pressure, helping individuals recognize possible risk factors and increasing awareness.
This is especially useful for corporate wellbeing platforms, where early detection can enable proactive health management, helping companies to reduce their healthcare costs and improve employee wellbeing. Health insurance providers can also leverage these insights to create personalized wellness plans, paving the way for preventive health initiatives.
Integrating blood pressure monitoring into digital health platforms offers the dual benefits of improving individual health outcomes and driving broader public health initiatives. By providing users with timely insights, these platforms can empower individuals to take control of their health, while enabling organizations to build more comprehensive, preventive health programs.
At IntelliProve, we’re excited for further advancements of this technology and its adoption into digital health platforms. The journey is just beginning, but we are confident in a future where vital health metrics, such as blood pressure, are as accessible as a video call.