Pulse wave analysis as an experimental tool to clinical application: past and present (review)

Pulse examination by palpation of a peripheral artery against a bony prominence is the most commonly used and widely accepted method. However this is subjective and thus prone to errors. Although pulse waveform was recorded in the 19th century, it did not gain popularity because of inconvenience in using the recording instruments and the absence of a sound theory to explain the wave forms recorded. Sphygmomanometry for recording blood pressure gained popularity as it was easy to record and had a sound theoretical background. Sphygmomanometry provides two extreme values of blood pressure but does not give a true representation of the blood pressure changes occurring in the entire cardiac cycle. Recently there has been resurgence in the analysis of the graphical recording of the pulse wave. Photoplethysmography is becoming a widely accepted technique in assessing the volume pulse. The whole review is about historical background, non-invasive methods of pulse recording, relation of the digital volume pulse to the pressure pulse and the advantages of recording the pressure pulse.