Currently, blood pressure is measured by a separate, single measurement. However, blood pressure fluctuates due to exercise, stress or the natural circadian day/night rhythm. A snapshot therefore provides a very poor representation of the actual course of a patient’s blood pressure.
During this project, the project partners will work together to develop a blood pressure patch, called the BPatch, which will enable continuous blood pressure measurement. By using the intended BPatch, it will be possible to monitor blood pressure in a non-invasive way for a longer period of time (up to 14 days continuously). This ensures the availability of essential information about the patient’s well-being, enabling faster and better care to be provided. The project therefore has a significant impact on the health transition. Medication can be set at a personal level and preventive measures can be taken earlier (e.g. adjusting lifestyle). Because there is insight into the blood pressure pattern, the effect of the treatment can be made transparent and adjustments can be done instantly.
With more than 1.4 million people in the Netherlands with hypertension, €6.5 billion in blood pressure-related medical costs annually, and 17.9 million deaths worldwide every year that can be related to cardiovascular disorders, there is great demand for a technology that can perform a continuous blood pressure measurement cheaply and easily. When a continuous measurement is possible, insight is obtained into the blood pressure pattern, which provides much more insight than the blood pressure at one time of the day. A disturbance of the blood pressure pattern can be used as an indicator of the development of various diseases and disorders, can be used to act preventively and to improve the treatment of disorders. Introduction of the study. A large audience has to be able to read and understand it.
2M Engineering is a privately-owned SME with state-of-the-art expertise in sensors, applied in the fields of wearables, medical devices and industrial and environmental IoT solutions. Our mission is to develop technologies and products that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world. We support our clients in (part of) their journey from idea to product development, certification (CE, ATEX, MDR) and production.
At Tracxon we transform Hybrid Printed Electronics from a niche technology to a mainstream cradle-to-cradle manufacturing technology through continuous process and product innovation. We specialize in the manufacturing of Hybrid Printed Electronics using sheet-to-sheet (S2S) and roll-to-roll (R2R) printing and component assembly. We are a value chain partner to co-design, prototype, pilot manufacture and go all the way to mass production.
Holst Centre is a research and innovation partner specialised in health technologies, flexible and wireless electronics, powered by the shared expertise of imec and TNO.
Since the previous update, significant progress has been made in developing the BPatch. 2M Engineering reports that a functional prototype is now available, using a dry-electrode patch combined with a high-resolution bioimpedance system. This setup provides stable signal recordings and enables measurement of Pulse Transit Time, an important indicator for estimating blood pressure (see Continuous wearable blood pressure monitor).
At UMCG, the focus is now shifting toward clinical validation. The first validation study is nearly ready, and the non-WMO application will be submitted soon. This study will compare the BPatch with a validated cuff-based device, both at rest and during blood pressure increases induced by a handgrip exercise.
A second study will follow in the Intensive Care Unit, where the BPatch will be compared with intra-arterial blood pressure monitoring, the clinical gold standard. This will provide essential insight into the device’s accuracy under real clinical conditions and is a key step toward a reliable non-invasive alternative.
The project team has also expanded. Since November 2025, master’s students Lisa Heeres and Lisa Klompenhouwer have joined the project, supporting study preparation, pilot testing, and documentation. Together with Thom de Groot and Charissa Roossien, they form a strong team, supported by experts from UMCG and the University of Groningen.
These combined efforts bring the project closer to its goal: enabling continuous, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring in both clinical care and daily life.
Hello, since 1 September 2024 I have joined the BPatch consortium. I have a background in Biomedical Engineering and an affinity for wearable health technology. For this project I will mostly be working on writing and performing the test protocols to validate and test the alpha prototype. For the first test we hope to validate the prototype in a clinical setting, and compare it to the golden standard of blood pressure measurement. The goal is to also have validation test in non-clinical setting by people at home to facilitate continuous measurement. I look forward to the collaboration with the team and help develop this innovative device for blood pressure measurement.
Hanna Groenenberg, student BioMedical Engineering at the University of Groningen (RUG) has done her bachelor project within BPatch for the past 10 weeks. She investigated how the first “alpha” prototype can be validated. She looked at reference methods, possible effects on the reliability of the measurement and how this study can best be set up. She has performed a good researched, collected a lot of input and did a great job. Thank you Hanna for your contribution and collaboration!
Over the past few months, we've been working hard to set up a local pulse transmission time (PTT) measurement setup that functions reliably. Initially, we focus on conducting good measurements with healthy individuals, and later, we aim to do the same with patients. These measurements help us understand the differences between people better. This process leads to specifications for the patch being developed by TNO Holst Center and Tracxon. We are currently testing the initial setups and refining them further. Additionally, we are studying how to perform accurate blood pressure measurements based on an extensive literature review. Over the next few months, we will be focusing on how to achieve accurate blood pressure measurements.
On April 1, 2023 our project proposal has been granted!
The
project will run until September 30, 2026. We have a grant of 1.13
MEuro (OPZuid EFRO)
On March 28, 2023 the kick-off meeting was
held at 2M Engineering.
Bpatch - Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring
A. Deusinglaan 1
9713 AV Groningen
The Netherlands
Visiting address
Bpatch - Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring
A. Deusinglaan 1
9713 AV Groningen
Kamer 3215.1105a
