EVALUATION OF BLOOD PRESSURE ESTIMATION USING PULSE TRANSIT TIME DURING CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS
Open Access
- Author:
- Sklarsky, Amanda Nicole
- Area of Honors:
- Kinesiology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. James Anthony Pawelczyk, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Mary Jane De Souza, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- PULSE TRANSIT TIME
BLOOD PRESSURE
COLD PRESSOR TEST
STATIC HANDGRIP
SHG
CPT
PTT
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
CVD
PECA
PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS
PTT BP ESTIMATION
MEDICAL DEVICE
CONTINUOUS
NONINVASIVE
CUFF-LESS
CUFF-FREE
PRE-EJECTION PERIOD
PEP
CARDIAC OUTPUT
CARDIAC RESISTANCE - Abstract:
- The nation’s leading cause of death since 1921 – Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) – is a pressing issue in society. Blood Pressure (BP) is a significant indicator of cardiovascular health and is thus central to much research. The issue lies in the fact that BP is generally not measured on a day-to-day basis, as the available forms of measurement are unconducive to daily measurement (i.e. cuff-based, non-continuous, and/or invasive). Pulse Transit Time (PTT) – the time delay between blood ejection to the heart to arrival at a peripheral point - is a promising metric in overcoming this issue and has been incorporated in a few wearable medical devices to date. This retrospective study aimed to determine whether PTT could withstand alterations in physiological status, specifically alterations in cardiac output and resistance. These changes were elicited via Cold Pressor Test (CPT) and Static Handgrip (SHG) protocols and were intended to reveal whether PTT is truly a reliable measurement that can be used in daily life by consumers of wearable medical devices. The results showed that there was in fact a significant difference between conditions (CPT vs. SHG) in BP measurement. Thus, PTT may not be transferable across physiological conditions. In the form utilized in this investigation, PTT does not appear to be sufficiently accurate for use in wearable medical devices. However, the inverse relationship between PTT and BP was consistent with that of other research studies, so PTT may be useful in considering relative changes in BP. Further research might consider individualized calibration to overcome variability between subjects. Nevertheless, the significant difference between the physiological states calls into question the broad utility of estimations of BP from PTT. Estimates derived with this methodology should be interpreted conservatively.