Relationship between Stroke Volume and Pulse Wave Velocity

Abstract

Stroke Volume (SV) measurements are essential for evaluating patient hemodynamic status and response to therapy. However, current methods for monitoring SV require either invasive or non-invasive additional measurements. This study investigates the relationship between SV and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) to examine whether the value of PWV can capture the changes in SV. The analysis was performed using data from six porcine experiments (N=6 Pietrain Pigs, 20-29 kg) in which left ventricular volume, aortic arc pressure, and descending aortic pressure waveforms were measured simultaneously. From the measured data, correlation coefficients were determined between absolute value of aortic PWV, SV and trend value ‘PWV - mean PWV, ‘SV - mean SV during periods when changes in SV were induced from preload changes, as well as infusion of dobutamine. The results showed good correlation (r = 0.59) for trend value, however, the correlation coefficient were poor with r = 0.028 for absolute value across all pigs. The analysis showed that value of PWV is reliable for capturing trend value of SV in preload changes. However, it is unreliable for capturing absolute value of SV or changes in SV made from dobutamine.