Heart Sound Analysis for Blood Pressure Estimation

Abstract

This chapter aims to give a perspective on how the study of the heart sound relation with blood pressure has evolved. The use of heart sound as a surrogate of the BP has been used with more emphasis on the detection of pulmonary hypertension patients, considering the frequency content, amplitude, and split the second heart sound and its subcomponents, which arise following the closure of the corresponding heart valves. Estimation of BP using the analysis of heart sound is characterized by the simplicity of the equipment used to obtain data, which after analysis allows to achieve promising results that until now were only obtained with techniques requiring far more complex and expensive equipment. The main objective of this chapter is to understand how heart sound analysis may be used to estimate blood pressure and which methods are employed to detect pulmonary hypertension.