Computation of Vascular Parameters: Implementing Methodology and Performance Analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Accurate in vivo measurement of vascular parameters like pulse wave velocity (PWV), blood pressure (BP), arterial compliance (AC), and stiffness index (SI) is vital for cardiovascular disorder assessment.
• Traditional methods for BP measurement (cuff-based or invasive catheter) are often not continuous and require manual calculation of other parameters.
• There is a need for non-invasive, continuous monitoring solutions for vascular health assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the feasibility of an automated and accurate in vivo ultrasound sensor for continuous, non-invasive vascular parameter measurement.
• To introduce the Continuous and Non-Invasive Vascular Stiffness and Arterial Compliance Screener (CaNVAS) device.
• To validate the CaNVAS device's accuracy and reliability in measuring vascular parameters.

Main Methods:

• Development of the CaNVAS device utilizing a 5 MHz ultrasound sensor (2.2-10 MHz range) to transmit acoustic waves through arterial walls.
• Capturing reflected echoes and applying pre-processing techniques to calculate PWV based on frequency shift.
• Establishing an exponential correlation between CaNVAS-measured PWV and sphygmomanometer-obtained BP values for instantaneous BP computation.

Main Results:

• The CaNVAS device demonstrated an exponential correlation between measured PWV and BP, enabling instantaneous BP calculation.
• Validation on 250 subjects showed 95% accuracy and an average coefficient of variation of 12.5% for vascular parameter measurements.
• The device proved reliable and precise for assessing vascular parameters under pre- and post-exercise conditions.

Conclusions:

• The CaNVAS device offers a feasible solution for automated, accurate, continuous, and non-invasive in vivo vascular parameter monitoring.
• This technology can significantly aid in the assessment and management of cardiovascular disorders during surgical procedures and follow-up.
• CaNVAS provides a reliable and precise tool for evaluating vascular stiffness and arterial compliance.