Graphical User Interface for Calculating Wave Intensity from Cardiac Catheterization Measurements.

Abstract

Wave intensity analysis (WIA) as a framework to assess cardiovascular hemodynamics has been successfully used in many clinical applications. Typically, wave intensity calculations require the simultaneous acquisition of blood velocity and blood pressure at the same vascular site. Unfortunately, many hemodynamic parameters that are used to monitor pre-operative patient hemodynamic state use both invasively acquired blood pressure measurements in catheterization laboratory and non-invasively acquired blood velocity measurements. To utilize wave intensity analysis to assess patients undergoing cardiac interventional procedures, we have developed a graphical user interface (GUI) that uses standard clinical measurements which include invasive blood pressure waveforms and Doppler echocardiography images to calculate wave intensity parameters. The GUI consists of three main subroutines that allow clinicians to import raw data and extract and analyze the blood pressure and blood velocity signals separately. Using the electrocardiogram signals as an alignment marker, the re-formatted signals are aligned, and wave intensity is calculated. Wave intensity features such as forward compression wave (FCW), forward expansion wave (FEW) and wave speed are calculated and output in a table for statistical analysis. The GUI represents the first attempt to create a program that encourages clinicians to use WIA for hemodynamic assessment in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures with the data they have already procured.