Arterial stiffness potently predicts mortality in dialysis patients. Pulse-wave analysis permits the non-invasive assessment of indices of arterial stiffness and the central pressure waveform by applanation tonometry. The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of pulse-wave analysis in patients with chronic renal failure. A total of 188 subjects (23 healthy controls, along with 71 ...

Background: Cardiac output (CO) is the total volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute and is a function of heart rate and stroke volume. CO is one of the most important parameters for monitoring cardiac function, estimating global oxygen delivery and understanding the causes of high blood pressure. Hence, measuring CO has always been a matter of interest to researchers and clinicians. Sev...

BACKGROUND We determined whether any significant association exists between change in late systolic cardiac load with time, estimated by radial pressure waveform analysis, and development of cardiac hemodynamic stress in individuals with preserved cardiac function. METHODS Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, radial augmentation index (rAI), first peak of the radial pressure waveform (SP1), sy...

Most traditional cardiovascular risk factors alter the structure and/or function of arteries. An assessment of arterial wall integrity could therefore allow accurate prediction of cardiovascular risk in individuals. The term 'arterial stiffness' denotes alterations in the mechanical properties of arteries, and much effort has focused on how best to measure this. Pulse pressure, pulse wave veloc...

During positive pressure ventilation, arterial pressure variations, like the pulse pressure variation (PPV), are observed in neonates. However, the frequency of the PPV does not always correspond with the respiratory rate. It is hypothesized that PPV is caused by cardiopulmonary interaction, but that this mismatch is related to the low respiratory rate/heart rate ratio. Therefore, the goal of t...

Quantitative analysis of the arterial pressure pulse waveform recorded by applanation tonometry of the radial artery can track NO (nitric oxide)-mediated modulation of arterial smooth muscle tone. The changes in pressure pulse waveform morphology result from pulse wave reflection arising predominantly from smaller arteries and arterioles. Employing Doppler ultrasound to record the spectral flow...

For hemodynamic monitoring, the pressure transducer is suggested to be fixed at the level of the phlebostatic axis in critically ill patients [1,2]. The correction and adjustment of pressure transducer are emphasized in central venous pressure monitoring in clinical practice. The exact position of the transducer is relatively easy to be ignored for invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring [3...

Pulsatile Flow Analysis of the Femoral Artery To the Editor: We read with great interest the article, “Pulse Pressure Amplification, Arterial Stiffness, and Peripheral Wave Reflection Determine Pulsatile Flow Waveform of the Femoral Artery” by Hashimoto et al,1 studying the correlation between reverse diastolic blood flow and increased arterial stiffness in the femoral artery. The authors empha...