# Flexible Piezoelectric Array for Cardiovascular MonitoringDuring Cardiac Arrest

> **NIH NIH R21** · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · 2022 · $191,061

## Abstract

Project Summary
In situations of out of hospital cardiac arrest, it is critical to quickly detect the performance of adequate
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through clinically acceptable pulse rate and blood pressure (BP). However,
the detection of adequate CPR can be difficult for someone not trained in first aid. Currently the standard for
measuring BP noninvasively is using cuff-based oscillometeric approaches. Attempts at developing these into
wearable devices for automated and continuous measurements have proven difficult and so researchers have
looked at other methods. However, these methods have not met the criteria for flexibility, accuracy, and low
power consumption. This project aims to develop a flexible patch for accurate detection of pulse rate and blood
pressure superficially through the radial, brachial, carotid, and/or femoral arteries. Piezoelectric polymers, are
inherently flexible and have been used in many applications for pressure sensing, offering great potential for use
as a patch-like sensor for monitoring of cardiovascular function. However, in the standard form, the material is
not sensitive enough to accurately detect blood pressure. In our lab we have developed a core-shell nanofiber
structure of conductive and piezoelectric nanofibers, respectively. The core-shell nanostructure shows a 4.5
times improvement in pressure sensitivity when compared to standard piezoelectric nanofibers and a nearly 40
times improvement when compared to piezoelectric polymer thin films. This improvement in pressure sensitivity
should allow for a wearable device composed of these materials to exceed the necessary 35 dB signal to noise
ratio required for the accurate detection of pulse wave velocity, a cardiovascular parameter used to determine
blood pressure. Coupled with inkjet printing patterning techniques of conductive polymers developed in our lab,
we propose to fabricate a novel core-shell nanofiber piezoelectric array in a wearable patch form for
cardiovascular monitoring. In order to test this piezoelectric array and develop data-driven algorithms for the
detection of blood pressure, testing will occur on a controllable simulated cardiovascular system capable of
replicating a human’s diastolic and systolic blood pressures, pulse rates, and arterial mechanical properties. The
blood pressure attainable by the simulated system falls within the AAMI standard benchmark for accuracy and
precision for noninvasive blood pressure monitoring of 5 ± 8 mmHg. We will train various regression models
using the data generated from this system to relate the detected pulse wave velocities to blood pressure and we
will compare the outcomes to commonly used correlation equations. We propose that the fabrication methods
we will develop, when coupled together with data-driven algorithms, will allow for the development of a low-
power, flexible patch, capable of detecting pulse rate and blood pressure, giving feedback on the adequacy of
CPR.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440514
- **Project number:** 5R21EB032056-02
- **Recipient organization:** DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Xiaojing Zhang
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $191,061
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440514

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440514, Flexible Piezoelectric Array for Cardiovascular MonitoringDuring Cardiac Arrest (5R21EB032056-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440514. Licensed CC0.

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