# Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitoring During Sleep

> **NIH NIH R33** · VENA VITALS, INC. · 2022 · $415,577

## Abstract

Project Summary
The project aims to advance a prototype device for continuous non-invasive blood pressure
(BP) monitoring into a versatile platform technology for beat-to-beat BP monitoring during sleep.
Nocturnal BP has been shown to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular events than daytime
BP. However, the traditional method for monitoring BP during sleep is with ambulatory BP
monitoring (ABPM), which is uncomfortable to wear, disturbs sleep, and only provides
intermittent measurements. A platform technology that accurately and comfortably monitors
beat-to-beat BP and BP variability during sleep is needed to better characterize the complex
relationship between sleep disorders and cardiovascular health. For example, BP surges
associated with apneic and hypopneic events in obstructive sleep apnea occur over a period of
seconds and go undetected by ABPM monitors. Quantification of the effects that sleep disorders
have on hemodynamic function can potentially lead to new biomarkers, improved diagnostics,
and personalized treatment and management. Prior attempts at cuffless non-invasive
technologies fall into several categories (finger volume clamp, pulse transit time, pulse
decomposition analysis, tonometry, and combinations thereof), but all have experienced distinct
limitations in accuracy, usability, or cost, thereby preventing widespread clinical adoption. Our
technology overcomes these limitations. First, our technology achieves high accuracy due to the
soft elastomeric properties that allow conformal contact of our sensors to the skin’s surface,
detecting high resolution signals and dynamic fluctuations in the arterial waveform. Second, our
devices are low-cost and can be fabricated using roll-to-roll processes that do not require
photolithography or clean rooms, and have low power consumption that can be supported with
common electrical components. Finally, our technology ensures usability through a low-profile
system that is comfortable to wear over long periods, such as during sleep. In this project, we
will develop and validate the beat-to-beat BP monitor to be used during sleep. We will develop
the hardware, firmware, and algorithms necessary to maintain the accuracy of the monitored
blood pressure throughout the sleep cycle while correcting for motion and holding the
calibration. We will validate our prototype through clinical testing and correlate detected BP
events to sleep study parameters. This will be the first of its kind technology that not only will
improve how nocturnal BP is monitored, diagnosed, and managed to improve cardiovascular
health, but also serve as a platform to enable new directions in clinical research and
understanding of cardiovascular function in sleep.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10449027
- **Project number:** 1R33HL163749-01
- **Recipient organization:** VENA VITALS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua Kim
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $415,577
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-26 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10449027

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10449027, Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitoring During Sleep (1R33HL163749-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10449027. Licensed CC0.

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