APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE PROPAGATION SPEED OF A PULSE WAVE

摘要

An apparatus and method are provided for determining the speed of propagation of a pulse wave. The apparatus includes at least one pulse wave sensor positionable on a finger and a toe of a subject and a processing and calculation unit configured to determine the time that the pulse wave reaches the finger and the time that the pulse wave reaches the toe of the subject. The unit calculates a time value, designated “aortic transit time”, as a function of the difference between the times that the pulse wave reaches the toe or the finger of the subject, and calculates a speed, designated “aortic pulse wave velocity”, as a function of the aortic transit time. The calculation includes division of a value, designated “aortic length”, as a function of the height and age of the subject, by the aortic transit time.