2. Pulse Wave for Arterial Diagnostics

This chapter focuses on using pulse waves as a form of pressure oscillation for arterial diagnostics. The chapter starts with a brief description of the cardiovascular system, arterial stiffness, arterial blood pressure (BP), and pulse waves. Detailed descriptions of arterial system parameters used for system assessment such as the augmentation index, central BP, and others are presented. The chapter also reviews several methods for measuring these parameters. Methods for noninvasive detection of arterial stiffness are explained in detail. A physical-based waveform measurement method based on a systemic arterial numerical model is fully described. The mathematical modeling approach is based on the wave equation developed in Chapter 1 and used to develop a systematic diagnostic technique. Detailed descriptions of blood measurement methods are presented including an artificial neural network (ANN) approach. A full section is on pulse wave, its history and types, and how it is used for early detection of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The chapter finishes with a section on the various medical applications of pulse waves, including some clinical trial outcomes. All the sections in the chapter are supported by a comprehensive literature survey of related materials.