PrevaPulse
Portable, non-invasive pulse wave velocity monitoring to support early pre-eclampsia risk assessment
PrevaPulse is a portable, non-invasive device being developed to support early assessment of pre-eclampsia risk in pregnant women.
How It Works
- Two separate, unequal wraps positioned over the brachial and radial arteries on the same arm
- Force-sensitive resistor (FSR) sensors detect the pulse wave at both sites
- The processing unit calculates pulse wave velocity from the pulse transit time across a fixed distance of 150 mm
- Result shown on an OLED screen, with green, yellow, and red LEDs giving a simple three-level risk indication
Designed for use by nurses and midwives, PrevaPulse aims to make arterial-stiffness assessment more accessible in antenatal clinics and low-resource healthcare settings.
The device is currently at the functional-prototype stage and has undergone preliminary benchtop testing but has not yet been clinically validated.
Ideation Process
How PrevaPulse went from an idea to a working prototype will be documented here.
What Makes It Unique
- Measures pulse wave velocity over a fixed 150 mm distance on a single arm, using two wraps and no cuff inflation
- Gives a simple three-level result (green, yellow, red) that a nurse or midwife can read at a glance
- Built for antenatal clinics and other low-resource healthcare settings