CALIBRATED MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD VESSELS AND ENDOTHELIUM AFTER REACTIVE HYPEREMIA AND METHOD THEREFOR

摘要

The calibrated method for characterizing blood flow in a limb of a patient during reactive hyperemia utilizes a blood pressure cuff (14). The method establishes a predetermined, near diastolic, pressure in the blood pressure cuff (14) during the reactive hyperemic episode, continually senses via a sensor (68) the pressure in the cuff, and periodically changes the internal volume of the blood pressure cuff by a predetermined volumetric amount to calibrate the system. The resultant change in the pressure is a calibration pressure pulse (P-cal), and is used to calculate pulsatile blood volume through the blood vessel. A calibrated method for determining the condition of blood vessels, and endothelium includes determining, for each calibration cycle, a respective peak value (t-P) for the blood volume, and comparing the peak blood volume values with peak blood volume values for healthy blood vessels, and endothelium. The comparison preferably utlizes a waveform (W1).