Measurement Device Offers Greater Blood Pressure Diagnostic Accuracy

Developed by researchers at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT; Vienna) in cooperation with IEM (Stolberg, Germany), the Mobil-O-Graph arterial pressure device provides exact information on BP inside the heart during a 24 hour period, using simple wire technology. The device is based on analysis of PWV, a measure of arterial stiffness that has a strong correlation with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. An added factor in analysis is Augmentation Index (AIx), a unit of measurement by which the aging of minor arteries is compared to thousands of datasets, helping to determine the age of the patient's arteries. The procedure is especially appropriate for patient groups at risk, such as smokers and those suffering from coronary disorders, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels.

"Pressure on the heart can finally be determined through analysis of pulse-wave velocity, which was formerly a very complex and also an invasive method that only specialized clinics could perform,” said Siegfried Wassertheurer, MSc, of the AIT health and environment department.

During each heartbeat, a pulse wave travels from the heart down the arterial wall in advance of blood flow; the more rigid the wall of the artery, the faster the wave moves. When the wave hits the major branching points, such as at the renal and femoral arteries, these waves are reflected back, so that they reverse direction and return to their point of origin. Normally, the reflected wave returns to the starting point after the aortic valve is closed, amplifying diastolic pressure, and facilitating blood flow to the coronary arteries. However, the increased velocity of the initial wave and the subsequent reflected wave that occurs with age means the wave can return before the aortic valve closes, increasing systolic rather than diastolic pressure, and decreasing the contribution of the reflected wave to the filling of the coronary arteries.

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Austrian Institute of Technology

IEM