Abstract
Pulse wave velocity in veins (vPWV) has recently been reconsidered as a potential index of vascular filling, which may be valuable in the clinic for fluid therapy. The measurement requires that an exogenous pressure pulse is generated in the venous blood stream by external pneumatic compression. To obtain optimal measure repeatability, the compression is delivered synchronously with the heart and respiratory activity. We present a portable prototype for the assessment of vPWV based on the PC board Raspberry Pi and equipped with an A/D board. It acquires respiratory and ECG signals, and the Doppler shift from the ultrasound monitoring of blood velocity from the relevant vein, drives the pneumatic cuff inflation, and returns multiple measurements of vPWV. The device was tested on four healthy volunteers (2 males, 2 females, age 33±13 years), subjected to the passive leg raising (PLR) manoeuvre simulating a transient increase in blood volume. Measurement of vPWV in the basilic vein exhibited a low coefficient of variation (3.6±1.1%), a significant increase during PLR in all subjects, which is consistent with previous findings. This device allows for carrying out investigations in hospital wards on different patient populations as necessary to assess the actual clinical potential of vPWV.
Highlights
IntroductionThe estimation of volaemic status (or volaemia) of a patient through a noninvasive method is not trivial but its development could be of great utility, given that interest in the patient’s volaemic spans across several different hospital departments [1]
Nowadays, the estimation of volaemic status of a patient through a noninvasive method is not trivial but its development could be of great utility, given that interest in the patient’s volaemic spans across several different hospital departments [1]
The aim of this study is to present a proof-of-concept prototype of a user-friendly, portable, and electrically isolated device for venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV) measurement
Summary
The estimation of volaemic status (or volaemia) of a patient through a noninvasive method is not trivial but its development could be of great utility, given that interest in the patient’s volaemic spans across several different hospital departments [1]. An innovative method for assessing the volaemic status of patients has recently been proposed: pulse wave velocity in veins, termed venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV) [2,3]. Pulse wave velocity is commonly measured in the arteries and widely used as a marker of cardiovascular risk [6]. Both for arteries and veins, PWV is related with the elasticity of the vessel. This dependence is formalized by the Moens–Korteweg equation, according to which the value of PWV is proportional to the square root of the incremental elastic modulus of the vessel wall: s
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