Blood Pressure Monitoring in Hypertensive Populations: Device Testing, Feasibility, Acceptability

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel cuffless blood pressure monitoring device for clinical use. This device is a cuffless blood pressure watch worn on the wrist called BIO-Z. The device will be tested against the Finapres Nova® which is FDA-approved to capture continuous BP measurements. The participant will only need wear a wristband, potentially eliminating the need to perform cuff-based readings. During the 2-hour visit, research coordinators will conduct exercises to change BP and compare the values gathered by the BIO-Z watch with the Finapres Nova® device and a standard blood pressure cuff. The investigators will also test whether the Bio-Z can capture blood pressures that are in the low and high range, and whether motion affects the quality of measurement. The ultimate goal is to develop a device that passively collects blood pressure continuously, which is more convenient than a standard blood pressure cuff. 15 Participants will have the option to complete study procedures twice more, spaced one week apart, for a total of three weeks of participation.

Inclusion criteria

• Hypertensive volunteers who have a history of hypertension or a BP >140/90 mmHg on two consecutive ambulatory visits within the last year.
• Able to read, understand, and provide written informed consent in English
• Willing and able to participate in the study procedures as described in the consent form
• Able to communicate effectively with and follow instructions from the study staff

Exclusion criteria

• Persons with pacemakers and/or a non-sinus rhythm (A-fib)
• Persons who are taking 4 or more anti-hypertensive medications
• Persons on dialysis
• Persons who are unstable
• Persons with tremors
• Persons with known peripheral artery disease
• Persons with more than 10 mmHg differential blood pressure between right and left arm
• Persons taking medications that might affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
• The investigators will exclude persons who are known to be pregnant after 20 weeks because of physiological changes in BP after 20 weeks of pregnancy; and will refer to Electronic Health Record data to determine pregnancy status at the time of screening. The investigators will not exclude participants of childbearing age or who become pregnant during the study since there are no risk of the devices to a pregnant person.