Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anscutz) have developed frameworks and software tools to help elucidate the complexities of pediatric blood pressure—accounting for vital factors including age, sex and height
Many people learn the familiar shorthand that “healthy blood pressure” means staying below 12/80 mmHg. However, blood pressure—especially in children—is far more complex than this.
Instead of relying on shorthand, researchers and clinicians working with children can use percentile charts known as pediatric blood pressure percentiles (BPPs). These BPPs are vital because they are used in the diagnosis of several conditions, including hypertension and shock. Yet BPPs sometimes lack important information and don't always account for all of the relevant variables.
To address these challenges, a team of researchers including Peter DeWitt, PhD, assistant research professor of biomedical informatics developed pedbp: a comprehensive tool that supports researchers and clinicians to access and understand blood pressure percentiles while accounting for variables including age, sex and height.
This is the fifth installment in our ongoing series spotlighting the DBMI Wall of Software, an interactive online hub showcasing the latest open-source software and data tools for researchers. View the Wall of Software here.
To learn more about pedbp and its applications, we sat down with DeWitt.