Wearable gentle blood pressure monitor for newborns
Official title: Continuous Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring in Neonates using Wearable Wireless NIRS
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11245772 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A soft, wireless sensor that uses harmless near‑infrared light aims to continuously track blood pressure in newborns in the NICU.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | December 10, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $260,829 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HD117308-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11245772 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Newborn infants in the NICU—especially preterm or hemodynamically unstable babies within the first month of life—who are cared for at enrolling hospitals.
✕Less likely to help
Older children or adults and stable infants without monitoring needs will not directly benefit from this neonatal-focused project, and babies who need immediate invasive arterial monitoring may still require arterial lines until the device is validated.
What this research studies
If your newborn is in the NICU, they would wear a small, wireless LED sensor (FlexNIRS) on the forehead that records optical pulse signals at high speed. The device captures pulsatile waveforms and the research team analyzes the rapid changes (the time derivative) in those waveforms to estimate blood pressure. Measurements from the wearable will be compared to the hospital's existing blood pressure measurements (including arterial lines or routine cuffs when available) to refine the device and algorithms. The goal is to create a safe, low‑cost continuous monitor tailored for very young infants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could provide continuous, accurate blood pressure monitoring for neonates without the risks of invasive arterial lines, improving early detection and management of instability.
How similar studies have gone: Related optical, cuffless approaches have shown promising correlations with blood pressure in adults but remain largely untested in newborns, so this is a promising yet early-stage approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: El-Dib, Mohamed — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: El-Dib, Mohamed
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.