Performance of pulse wave velocity measured using a brachial cuff in a community setting

We have previously reported that estimation of central blood pressure (BP) and augmentation using an automated oscillometric device are robust and feasible in a community setting. The same method has recently been validated for estimating aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) in laboratory settings, and its prognostic value has been confirmed in a prospective clinical trial.

The aim of this study was to assess the performance of aPWV estimates from an oscillometric device in a community-based setting.

We assessed estimates of aPWV for compatibility with data from reference noninvasive techniques. Estimates of aPWV were obtained in a community setting from a general population of 1903 volunteers (age range 14-99 years). Values of aPWV were analyzed according to sex and each age decile from less than 30 years to greater than 80 years and for a subset of patients with a peripheral systolic BP of less than 140 mmHg (n=1064).

We obtained valid measures of PWV from 1794 volunteers. Age (r=0.94, P<0.001) and BP category (r=0.63, P<0.001) were associated with aPWV, which was also statistically (P=0.002) but not clinically (<0.1 m/s) higher among female individuals after correction for quadratic age and mean BP. Known differences in and associations of aPWV with sex, age, and BP category mirrored those previously established from reference-standard noninvasive techniques in nonroutine clinical settings.

Data presented here represent initial reference values for cuff-based estimates of aPWV, which can now be obtained in routine clinical practice (e.g. primary care).