Custom Silicone Vessels for In Vitro Investigations on Vascular Ageing using Photoplethysmography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a significant global health concern.
• Vascular ageing, characterized by arterial stiffness, exacerbates cardiovascular risk.
• Current clinical vascular assessments involve delays and patient anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of Photoplethysmography (PPG) for assessing vascular ageing.
• To develop and utilize novel, customizable in vitro vascular phantoms.
• To investigate the relationship between vascular mechanical properties and PPG signals.

Main Methods:

• Customizable silicone elastomer vessel-tissue phantoms were created with varying additives.
• Mechanical properties (wall thickness, elasticity) of phantom vessels were systematically altered.
• In vitro PPG signals were acquired from the developed vascular phantoms.
• Statistical analysis was performed on PPG signals from phantoms with different elasticities.

Main Results:

• Formulation of silicone elastomers significantly impacted the mechanical properties of the vascular phantoms.
• Distinct in vitro PPG signals were successfully acquired from the customized phantoms.
• A statistically significant difference in PPG signals was observed between phantoms with varying vessel elasticity.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the feasibility of using customizable phantoms to simulate vascular properties.
• Findings suggest that PPG signals can differentiate between vessels of varying elasticity.
• This research supports further investigation into PPG as a non-invasive indicator for vascular ageing assessment.