Assessment of central haemomodynamics from a brachial cuff in a community setting.
BACKGROUND
Large artery stiffening and wave reflections are independent predictors of adverse events. To date, their assessment has been limited to specialised techniques and settings. A new, more practical method allowing assessment of central blood pressure from waveforms recorded using a conventional automated oscillometric monitor has recently been validated in laboratory settings. However, the feasibility of this method in a community based setting has not been assessed.


METHODS
One-off peripheral and central haemodynamic (systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure) and wave reflection parameters (augmentation pressure (AP) and index, AIx) were obtained from 1,903 volunteers in an Austrian community setting using a transfer-function like method (ARCSolver algorithm) and from waveforms recorded with a regular oscillometric cuff. We assessed these parameters for known differences and associations according to gender and age deciles from <30 years to ≥80 years in the whole population and a subset with a systolic BP < 140 mmHg.


RESULTS
We obtained 1,793 measures of peripheral and central BP, PP and augmentation parameters. Age and gender associations with central haemodynamic and augmentation parameters reflected those previously established from reference standard non-invasive techniques under specialised settings. Findings were the same for patients with a systolic BP below 140 mmHg (i.e. normotensive). Lower values for AIx in the current study are possibly due to differences in sampling rates, detection frequency and/or averaging procedures and to lower numbers of volunteers in younger age groups.


CONCLUSIONS
A novel transfer-function like algorithm, using brachial cuff-based waveform recordings, provides robust and feasible estimates of central systolic pressure and augmentation in community-based settings.
Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Hythe Bridge St, Oxford, UK. david.nunan@phc.ox.ac.uk
David
D
Nunan
Siegfried
S
Wassertheurer
Daniel
D
Lasserson
Bernhard
B
Hametner
Susannah
S
Fleming
Alison
A
Ward
Carl
C
Heneghan
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001317:Austria; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003153:Community Health Services; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution; D059289:Vascular Stiffness