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Updated: May 28, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Evaluation of carotid wave intensity in firefighters following firefighting
Huimin Yan1, Christopher A Fahs, Sushant Ranadive
1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 227 Freer Hall MC-052, 906 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. yan13@illinois.edu
Insights
Firefighting significantly reduces cardiac contractility and arterial-ventricular coupling, indicated by decreased wave intensity (WI) peaks. This hemodynamic change may explain the increased risk of sudden cardiac events in firefighters.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Occupational Health
- Hemodynamics
Background:
- Sudden cardiac events are a leading cause of firefighter line-of-duty deaths.
- Limited data exists on the specific physiological responses during and after firefighting activities.
- Wave intensity (WI) is a novel hemodynamic index reflecting heart-vascular system interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in arterial wave intensity (WI) in firefighters exposed to live firefighting.
- To assess the impact of firefighting on cardiac contractility and arterial-ventricular coupling.
Main Methods:
- Wave intensity (WI) was measured in 39 firefighters at rest and after 3 hours of live firefighting drills.
- Measurements were taken on the right common carotid artery using high-resolution ultrasound.
- Key WI components, including the first peak wave (W1) and second peak wave (W2), were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The magnitude of W1, representing cardiac contractility, significantly decreased post-firefighting (15,925 to 11,540 mmHg m s(-3), p < 0.05).
- Net wave production (NA) also decreased significantly (53 to 40 mmHg m s(-2)).
- The magnitude of W2 remained unchanged, suggesting reflected waves were not significantly altered.
Conclusions:
- Live firefighting leads to a decrease in left ventricular function and arterial-ventricular coupling.
- These hemodynamic alterations may contribute to the elevated risk of clinical cardiac events observed in firefighters.
- WI analysis provides valuable insights into the cardiovascular strain experienced by firefighters.
Abstract:
Sudden cardiac events are the leading cause of line-of-duty firefighter deaths, but little information exists elucidating the physiologic responses. Wave intensity (WI) is a new hemodynamic index that provides information about the dynamic behavior of the heart and the vascular system and their interaction. The larger first peak wave (W1) occurs during early systole and is associated with cardiac contractility. The second smaller peak (W2) follows a period of relatively little net wave (NA) production and may be caused by reflected waves from the brain. This study aimed at determining arterial WI changes in response to live firefighting activities. We examined the WI of 39 firefighters (2 females) with a mean age of 28 ± 1 years and BMI of 26.6 ± 0.7 kg m(-2) at rest, and immediately after 3 h of live firefighting drills. WI was assessed on the right common carotid artery using an Aloka high-resolution ultrasound. The magnitude of the W1 decreased significantly from 15,925 ± 1,341 to 11,540 ± 886 mmHg m s(-3), p < 0.05. The magnitude of W2 remained unchanged (W2: from 2,080 ± 200 to 2,144 ± 358 mmHg m s(-3)). Net NA decreased from 53 ± 5 to 40 ± 4 mmHg m s(-2). In conclusions, our data suggest that left ventricular function and arterial-ventricular coupling decreased following live firefighting, and this may be related to the documented increase in risk of clinical events during and after firefighting activities.
