Hypertension
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Comparative Study
Noninvasive assessment of the digital volume pulse. Comparison with the peripheral pressure pulse.
The digital volume pulse can be recorded simply and noninvasively by photoplethysmography. The objective of the present study was to determine whether a generalized transfer function can be used to relate the digital volume pulse to the peripheral pressure pulse and, hence, to determine whether both volume and pressure pulse waveforms are influenced by the same mechanism. The digital volume pulse was recorded by photoplethysmography in 60 subjects (10 women, aged 24 to 80 years), including 20 subjects with previously diagnosed hypertension. ⋯ By use of a single generalized transfer function for all subjects, the radial and digital artery pressure waveforms could be predicted from the volume pulse with an average root mean square error of 4.4+/-2.0 and 4.3+/-1.9 mm Hg (mean+/-SD) for radial and digital artery waveforms, respectively, similar to the error between the 2 pressure waveforms (4.4+/-1.4 mm Hg). The peripheral pressure pulse is related to the digital volume pulse by a transfer function, which is not influenced by effects of hypertension or NTG. Effects of NTG on the volume pulse and pressure pulse are likely to be determined by a similar mechanism.