ĭifferent methodologies have been implemented in commercially available devices for non-invasive regional PWV measurement. This leads to approaches, such as where the pulse at the carotid artery is recorded and an estimated correction factor for the systematic error in the location is introduced. An important drawback is that the systolic blood pressure pulse cannot be recorded non-invasively at the point of its genesis: The aortic root. Many non-invasive techniques have been used, but difficulties in the determination of the distance and time difference make these techniques vulnerable to dispute. For an exact measurement of the PWV, invasive pressure pulse measurements are indicated, but these are not suitable for widespread applications. PWV is calculated by taking the ratio of the distance between two positions at the body and the time difference between the occurrences of the systolic pressure pulse at these locations. Numerous studies have attempted to quantify arteriosclerosis by assessing the arterial stiffness, for instance by assessing the pulse wave velocity (PWV) of the systolic blood pressure pulse in the major arteries. However, further studies are needed for comparison between this approach and reference methods for pulse wave velocity and assessment of arteriosclerosis before any firm conclusions can be drawn.Īrteriosclerosis is one of the major determinants of cardiovascular risk. In view of these findings, we conclude that impedance cardiography seems to be well suited and practical for pulse wave velocity measurements and possibly for the assessment of the degree of arteriosclerosis. We attribute this to the fact that the degree of arteriosclerosis typically increases with age and that stiffening of the arterial wall will make the arteries less able to comply with increased heart rate (and corresponding blood pressure), without leading to increased pulse wave velocity. Using two different four-electrode setups, we measured the timing of the systolic pulse at two locations, the upper arm and the thorax, and found that the pulse wave velocity was in general higher in older volunteers and furthermore that it was also more heart rate dependent for older subjects. In this project, we have studied the use of electrical impedance cardiography as a possible method for measuring blood pulse wave velocity, and hence be an aid in the assessment of the degree of arteriosclerosis.
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