A MODEL OF THE ARTERIAL WALL INTERACTION WITH A BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR TRANSDUCER FIXED IN PROXIMITY

Abstract

MEMS technology is an option for the development of a pressure sensor which allows the monitoring of several bio-signals in humans. In this work, a comparison is made between the typical elasticity and viscosity presented in several arteries in the human body and those present in MEMS silicon microstructures based on membranes in proximity with an arterial wall. The main purpose is to identify which types of microstructures are mechanically compatible with human arteries. The ultimate goal is to integrate a blood pressure sensor which can be implanted in proximity with an artery. The expected benefits for this type of sensor are mainly the reduction in problems associated with the use of bulk devices through the day and during several days. Such a sensor could provide precise blood pressure readings in a continuous or periodic form, i.e. information that is especially important for some critical cases of hypertension patients. The modeling work involved in this paper, accounts for the analysis of micro displacements present in the membrane of a MEMs silicone microstructure placed directly on a human arterial wall, at different heart rates. The modeling includes the effects of elasticity and viscosity of the silicone structure on the pressure measurement. Additionally, the sensitivity of the membrane to detect slight variations in the blood pressure is presented.