24-hour device developed by AIT in cooperation with
I.E.M.
The Austrian research institute AIT Austrian Institute of
Technology has in cooperation with German industrial partner I.E.M.
developed a 24-hour device to measure blood pressure that basically
provides a more-exact diagnosis of high blood pressure than
previous blood-pressure measurement devices. Hundreds of the
devices are already in daily use and give general practitioners as
well as institutes significant advantages in the early detection of
cardiovascular illnesses.
AIT Logo
Vienna, 02/28/2011 (AIT). International scientists addressed and
discussed the current status of procedures for better early
recognition of risk and optimal therapies for high blood pressure
on Thursday, February 24, at Vienna Tech Gate in Vienna. Although
heart and circulatory-system illnesses are still the most-common
cause of death worldwide, only half of such deaths can be explained
by classic risk factors. The relatively recent research area of
bio-mathematics plays a central role in development of innovative
diagnostic procedures. AIT scientists developed a procedure in that
regard to determine one’s state of health with numbers without the
need to perform experiments on patients. AIT has succeeded in
developing a technology that is simple and provides exact
information about blood pressure in the heart for 24 hours without
open-heart measurements. It makes rapid and appropriate treatment
and recovery of patients possible.
Siegfried Wassertheurer from AIT’s Health & Environment
Department says: “A classic blood-pressure measurement device
provides information only about the systole, the diastole and the
heart beat. High blood pressure has other important parameters such
as the elasticity of arteries and the peripheral resistance of
vessels.
“Upper-arm blood pressure is therefore different than that in
the aorta near the heart. Pressure on the heart can finally be
determined through analysis of pulse-wave velocity, which was
formerly a very complex and also an invasive method that only
specialized clinics could perform.
“With this innovative generation of blood-pressure measurement
devices, it has become possible to perform the very important
analysis of pulse-wave velocity with a simple upper-arm cuff (or
pressure sleeve) that has resulted in new software more or less
replacing traditional blood-pressure measurement devices,”
according to John Cockcroft, professor of cardiology at the Wales
Heart Research Institute in Cardiff and guest speaker at AIT’s
workshops last Thursday.
Hundreds of the devices are already in use and give general
practitioners as well as well-known institutes significant
advantages in the early detection of cardiovascular
illnesses. AIT Austrian Institute of Technology received a
research prize for that development at the end of 2010.
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria’s largest research
establishment outside a university. With five departments, AIT is a
highly-specialized research and development partner for industry.
Its researchers focus on the main infrastructure themes of the
future: energy, mobility, health & environment, safety &
security and foresight & policy development. Around 1,000
researchers in Austria are working on development of tools,
technology and solutions for the economy in accord with its
motto “Tomorrow Today” focusing on the future. AIT is
internationally linked to many universities and research institutes
and plays a key role among research and technology establishments
on the European level that focus on the main infrastructure
themes.
Questions should be directed to:
Dr. Siegfried Wassertheurer
AIT Health & Environment Department
T +43 50550-4830 M +43 664 825 10 43
siegfried.wassertheurer@ait.ac.at
Mag. Michael H. Hlava
Leiter Corporate and Marketing Communications
T +43 50550-4014
