Blood pressure transducers are sensors that convert biological signals into electrical analog signals. Although pressure transducers are commonly used for invasive monitoring of arterial and venous pressures, they can also be used to measure both intracranial and intra-abdominal pressure. The transducer is a combination of a pressure-sensitive diaphragm and strain gauge used to convert mechanical pressure to an electrical signal by measuring changes in resistance. The ICP transducer is functionally similar to the arterial blood pressure transducer.
Blood pressure transducers, such as capacitive transducer, are used to measure blood pressure using a catheter interfaced to the body. Invasive blood pressure sensors using MEMs capacitive sensors can also be fitted to catheters for direct measurement of blood pressure. Drivers for the acceptance of this technology are abdominal aortic aneurysm and congestive heart failure, the major cardiovascular diseases, and an implantable pressure monitoring system, which would tailor treatment medication by measuring blood pressure, is a very attractive prospect.
Moreover, the risk of high blood pressure increases with age, and thus, with the increasing prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure) and the growing geriatric population around the world, the demand for blood pressure transducers is also expected to increase with a rapid pace. For example, according to the Robert Koch Institute, a German federal government agency, and research institute, around 1 in 3 adults in Germany have self-reported physician-diagnosed hypertension, and nearly two-thirds of all men and women aged 65 and over have hypertension.
Blood pressure transducers continuously provide blood pressure information to the patient's monitoring system through a pressure monitoring catheter. This is a mission-critical application where the product cannot be allowed to fail. Blood pressure transducers are of two types, such as disposable and reusable. Disposable transducers are designed to give consistent and accurate readings of arterial and venous blood pressure measurements in animals of all sizes. Whereas, the use of reusable transducers for invasive blood pressure monitoring can lead to cost savings for the hospital and help to reduce waste.