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Date of Graduation

5-2026

Description

Cardiovascular disease represents the leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in the United States, accounting for over 30% of maternal deaths, with preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders contributing significantly to this burden. In Arkansas, maternal mortality rates reach 41.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. Current prenatal care relies on intermittent office-based blood pressure measurements conducted during 12-14 clinical visits, may not capture critical cardiovascular changes in a timely manner. Preeclampsia is characterized by new-onset hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation, affects 3-7% of pregnancies, and requires early detection to enable timely intervention. The limited accessibility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in rural settings, combined with barriers to frequent in-person postpartum follow-up, creates critical gaps in cardiovascular conditions that contribute to preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.Research Objective: This project aims to develop an algorithm that uses photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors embedded in smartwatches to provide continuous heart rate monitoring for pregnant individuals. The primary objective is to create an accessible, user-friendly cardiovascular monitoring system capable of detecting physiological patterns that may indicate the development of hypertensive disorders or cardiovascular complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This work represents the initial development phase, focusing on establishing core functionality for PPG data acquisition and real-time heart rate visualization through integration with wearable consumer technology.Methods: The application is being developed to integrate PPG sensor data from Samsung Galaxy smartwatches using the Samsung Health SDK and Wear OS platform APIs. Initial development efforts focus on establishing reliable data acquisition protocols. The system architecture is being designed to support the future implementation of machine learning algorithms. The current development phase focuses on creating an intuitive user interface that displays real-time heart rate data, provides basic trend visualization, and supports data logging. Expected Outcomes: This preliminary development work is expected to yield a functional prototype application capable of acquiring and displaying continuous heart rate data from Samsung smartwatch PPG sensors. Successful completion of this initial phase will demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrating consumer wearable technology for maternal cardiovascular monitoring and establish the foundation for future enhancement with predictive analytics capabilities. The prototype is anticipated to provide proof-of-concept for continuous monitoring that extends beyond traditional office-based assessment intervals. Future development iterations will incorporate gestational-age-specific reference algorithms and alert systems for values exceeding personalized thresholds, with the ultimate goal of enabling early detection of cardiovascular complications and facilitating timely clinical intervention. Implications: This project addresses critical gaps in maternal cardiovascular surveillance by developing an accessible monitoring solution that leverages existing consumer wearable technology. Successful development of this application has the potential to reduce barriers to continuous physiological monitoring, particularly for pregnant individuals in rural communities where frequent clinical visits present significant logistical challenges.

Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Book

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biomedical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Abbas, James

Disciplines

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Keywords

Engineering

Cardiovascular Monitoring for Maternal Health Using Wearable Devices

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