Pulse wave analysis with diffusing-wave spectroscopy

Abstract

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and thus at the origin of many deaths by e.g. heart attack or stroke. Hypertension is caused by many factors including an increase in arterial sti ff ness which leads to changes in pulse wave velocity and wave reflections. Those often result in an increased left ventricular load which may result in heart failure as well as an increased pulsatile pressure in the microcirculation leading to damage to blood vessels. In order to specifically treat the di ff erent causes of hypertension it is desirable to perform a pulse wave analysis as a complement to measurements of systolic and diastolic pressure by brachial cu ff sphygmomanometry. Here we show that Di ff using Wave Spectroscopy, a novel non-invasive portable tool, is able to monitor blood flow changes with a high temporal resolution. The measured pulse travel times give detailed information of the pulse wave blood flow profile.