Berlin, Germany & Pasadena, CA, USA
January 2026
For many years, experts in maternal–fetal medicine have emphasized that blood pressure alone is an incomplete marker of maternal cardiovascular health. Conditions such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and fetal growth restriction are driven by complex changes in the maternal hemodynamic profile - including cardiac output, stroke volume, and vascular resistance - parameters that have historically been difficult to assess outside of specialized centers and have typically required operator-dependent techniques with significant training and resource intensity.
A newly published prospective study by Gregory R. DeVore, MD marks an important step forward in addressing this gap.
Turning physiology into usable reference standards
In a large cohort of 300 normotensive singleton pregnancies between 10 and 39 weeks of gestation, Dr. DeVore and colleagues demonstrated that maternal cardiac function can be quantified by measuring key hemodynamic biomarkers using a non-invasive, computerized brachial blood pressure cuff, based on the VICORDER® platform.
Crucially, the study established gestational-age–specific reference intervals for core maternal hemodynamic parameters, including: Cardiac output, Total Peripheral vascular resistance, Heart rate and Stroke volume
The observed trajectories—an increase in cardiac output during mid-pregnancy, a reduction in vascular resistance followed by a late-gestation rise—closely mirror decades of evidence derived from invasive monitoring and echocardiography. This strong alignment confirms the physiological validity of cuff-based hemodynamic assessment.
Click here to read the full study.
Why this matters for clinicians
From a clinical perspective, the availability of pregnancy-specific reference ranges is transformative. Rather than relying on isolated values, clinicians can now interpret maternal hemodynamic measurements in the context of gestational age, enabling earlier and more precise identification of abnormal cardiovascular adaptation.
This supports earlier recognition of maladaptive hemodynamic patterns, differentiation of hypertensive phenotypes that may appear similar when assessed by blood pressure alone and more individualized, physiology-guided management strategies
Importantly, the VICORDER® platform delivers these insights without the operator dependency or resource intensity associated with echocardiography or other advanced hemodynamic monitoring technologies.
What this means for partners and healthcare systems
For commercial partners and healthcare systems, this work provides a robust scientific foundation for scalable maternal hemodynamic assessment. The VICORDER® platform builds on familiar blood-pressure workflows, requires minimal training, and delivers actionable cardiovascular insights within minutes.
By translating complex cardiovascular physiology into a practical bedside solution, the study enables broader adoption beyond tertiary referral centers, integration into routine prenatal care and hypertension clinics and longitudinal monitoring and population-level screening strategies
Looking ahead
At 80 Beats Medical, we view this study as a cornerstone. It establishes the reference framework needed to move maternal hemodynamics from theory into everyday clinical practice - and positions VICORDER® as both a clinically credible and commercially scalable platform.
