A Photoplethysmograph-Based Device for Carotid Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Measurement: Inter and Intraoperator Study

Abstract

Arterial stiffness, a proxy of vascular aging is an important marker of cardiovascular events and mortality that is independent of traditional risk factors. The carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) is the gold standard for non-invasive assessment of arterial stiffness. Measuring arterial stiffness can aid in the early detection of people who are at risk. State-of-the-art devices, majorly employing applanation tonometry at the carotid site demand extensive skill, are expensive, and are not amenable for routine or out-of-clinic usage. To address this gap, we have developed a novel easy-to-use, fully automated, and affordable photoplethysmography-based (PPG) device for measuring pulse signals from the carotid artery and cuff with a sensor to measure pulse signals from the femoral artery. An in-vivo inter and intra-operator study was conducted on 15 subjects to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of measurements furnished by the device. The device could simultaneously acquire pulse signals from carotid and femoral arteries. The beat-to-beat PWV obtained by operator A and operator B was less than 7% and 12.2% respectively. The intra- and inter-operator measurements demonstrated excellent repeatability (ICC > 0.89). Future studies in this regard include establishing the device’s accuracy against gold standard reference and deeming it suitable for clinical and field deployment.