I am often asked why dynamic blood pressure values do not exactly match when they are generated with an NIBP simulator. How do you interpret the values correctly? Where do the differences come from, and how do you deal with them? I will explain it in this blog.
Where do these differences arise?
The difference lies in the algorithms of the simulator and the monitoring monitor. An algorithm is a fixed quantity.
The moment both the simulator and the monitor use the same algorithm, there is no difference: the simulated NIBP value then corresponds to what the monitor registers.
It will deviate when the simulator and the monitor use different algorithms. For example, you perform a simulation with 120/80 (93), but the monitor repeatedly shows 116/75 (83).
How do you interpret NIBP in a good way?
Let’s take a look at a practical example.
In a hospital patient, blood pressure is measured at regular intervals via NIBP. These measurements together give a trend. For doctors and nurses, it is essential that the NIBP monitor is reliable and stable.
You can conclude from this that the stability of the monitor is essential to make a correct diagnosis based on the trend. Stability is also important for functional control. It is then nice if the simulator itself also constantly simulates the same thing.
The Fluke ProSim 8 is ideally suited for this, because it is specified in repeatable simulation.
For example, if you perform five dynamic simulations on an NIBP monitor, you can use the measured differences to assess whether the monitor shows stable values.
So it does not matter if the monitor shows 116/75 while you simulate 120/80 — what matters is that this value remains consistent. Then you know that the device measures reliably.
As mentioned, the algorithm of the simulator is a fixed quantity. The only variable in the measuring setup is the pressure sensor of the monitor.
So you can say: when the pressure sensor functions well over its entire range, the pressure values will be displayed correctly on the monitor.
The focus is therefore on the manometer or pressure sensor of the device. You must always check the stability of the monitor with dynamic simulation.
