A Pilot Estimation of Ventricular-Arterial Coupling Using a Vascular Screening Device (VaSera^®)

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular physiology
• Biomedical engineering
• Non-invasive diagnostics

Background:

• Non-invasive cardiovascular assessment offers an alternative to invasive methods.
• VaSera® measures arterial stiffness (CAVI) and cardiophysiological variables (ET, PEP).
• Existing methods lack precise, non-invasive heart function estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate heart function using left ventricular end-systolic elastance/arterial elastance (Ees/Ea) via VaSera® parameters.
• To determine the minimal number of measurements for accurate Ees/Ea estimation.
• To validate the non-invasive Ees/Ea estimation for clinical utility.

Main Methods:

• Experimental laboratory study on healthy volunteers.
• Ees/Ea estimation using ejection time (ET) and pre-ejection period (PEP) from VaSera®.
• Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis for measurement reliability and agreement.

Main Results:

• 660 measurements from 132 participants were analyzed.
• Estimated Ees/Ea values were 1.5 [1.2, 1.9].
• Four measurements were identified as the minimum required (ICC=0.71).
• Excellent agreement (CCC=0.99) was found between trimmed average and four-measurement Ees/Ea estimates.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive Ees/Ea estimation using VaSera® is a tolerable method for heart failure screening.
• Four sequential measurements provide reliable Ees/Ea estimates.
• This approach enhances non-invasive cardiovascular assessment capabilities.