Comparative Analysis of Cuffless and Cuff-Based Blood Pressure Monitor
Research type
Research Study
Full title
"A Comparative Analysis of Cuffless and Cuff-Based Blood Pressure Monitoring in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Feasibility Study Using the International Standards to Document Autonomic Function Following Spinal Cord Injury"
IRAS ID
357347
Contact name
Louise Hesp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff and Vale UHB
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
People living with spinal cord injury (SCI), especially those with injuries at or above the T6 level, often experience problems with blood pressure control. These can include dangerous spikes in blood pressure known as autonomic dysreflexia (AD), high blood pressure when lying down (supine hypertension), and low blood pressure (hypotension). These changes can happen suddenly and may not always be detected during routine care.
Currently, blood pressure is usually measured with a manual cuff at rest, often during short procedures such as the 20-minute test recommended by international SCI guidelines. However, these one-off checks may miss abnormal events that occur at other times of day, such as during bowel care or sleep. The standard method also depends on staff availability and can be difficult to complete consistently in busy hospital settings.
This research aims to test a wearable, cuffless blood pressure device that can continuously record a person’s blood pressure for up to 24 hours, or longer if needed. The study will involve adult inpatients with SCI staying on a specialist hospital ward. First, their blood pressure will be measured using both a standard cuff and the cuffless device during a short, supervised test. After that, they will wear the cuffless device for a longer period—up to five days—to see if it can detect abnormal blood pressure changes and help establish their individual blood pressure baseline. Participants will also be asked to keep a simple diary of activities and symptoms to help interpret the results.
The study is being conducted as part of an NHS Scientist Training Programme project and is designed to be low-risk and non-invasive. Results will help determine whether continuous, wearable monitoring can improve detection and understanding of blood pressure problems in people with spinal cord injuries, and may guide improvements in future care.
Currently, blood pressure is usually measured using a manual cuff at rest, often during short procedures such as the 20-minute test outlined by international SCI guidelines. However, these short, one-off checks may miss abnormal events that happen at other times of day, such as during bowel care or sleep. The standard method also depends on staff availability and can be difficult to complete consistently in busy clinical settings.This research aims to test a wearable, cuffless blood pressure device that can continuously record a person’s blood pressure for 24 hours or more. The study will involve people with SCI staying on a specialist hospital ward. First, their blood pressure will be measured with both a standard cuff and the cuffless device during a short, supervised test. After that, they will wear the cuffless device for a longer period to see if it detects any abnormal blood pressure changes and to help establish their individual blood pressure baseline.
The study is being conducted as part of an NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) project and has been designed to be low-risk and non-invasive. Results will help determine whether continuous, wearable monitoring could improve the detection and understanding of blood pressure problems in people with spinal cord injuries.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0280
Date of REC Opinion
6 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion