Novel wave power analysis linking pressure-flow waves, wave potential, and the forward and backward components of hydraulic power

Hybrid physics-based and data-driven modeling of vascular bifurcation pressure differences

Reduced-order models allow for the simulation of blood flow in patient-specific vasculatures. They offer a significant reduction in computational cost and wait time compared to traditional computational fluid dynamics models. Unfortunately, due to the simplifications made in their formulations, reduced-order models can suffer from significantly reduced accuracy. One common simplifying assumption is that of continuity of static or total pressure over vascular bifurcations. In many cases, this assumption has been shown to introduce significant errors in pressure predictions. We propose a model to account for this pressure difference, with the ultimate goal of increasing the accuracy of cardiovascular reduced-order models. Our model successfully uses a structure common in existing reduced-order models in conjunction with machine-learning techniques to predict the pressure difference over a vascular bifurcation. We analyze the performance of our model on steady and transient flows, testing it on three bifurcation cohorts representing three different bifurcation geometric types. We find that our model makes significantly more accurate predictions than other models for approximating bifurcation pressure losses commonly used in the reduced-order cardiovascular modeling community. We also compare the efficacy of different machine-learning techniques and observe that a neural network performs most robustly. Additionally, we consider two different model modalities: one in which the model is fit using both steady and transient flows, and one in which it is optimized for performance in transient flows. We discuss the trade-off between the physical interpretability associated with the first option and the improved accuracy in transient flows associated with the latter option. We also demonstrate the model's ability to generalize by testing it on a combined dataset containing two different bifurcation types. This work marks a step towards improving the accuracy of cardiovascular reduced-order models, thereby increasing their utility for cardiovascular flow modeling.

The global effect of aortic coarctation on carotid and renal pulsatile hemodynamics

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a congenital disease characterized by the narrowing of the aorta, typically the descending portion after the left subclavian artery. If left untreated, by the time individuals reach 50 years of age, the mortality rate can reach 90%. Previous studies have highlighted the adverse effects of CoA on local hemodynamics. However, no study has investigated the global hemodynamic effects of CoA in end-organ (brain and kidney) damage. Clinical studies have shown that coarctation acts as a reflection site, potentially damaging the hemodynamics of the brain and kidneys. Our goal in this study is to investigate the underlying mechanisms of these altered wave dynamics and their impacts on the pulsatile hemodynamics of end-organs. In this study, we use a physiologically accurate in-vitro experimental setup that simulates the hemodynamics of systemic circulation. Experiments are conducted across various cardiac outputs, heart rates, and coarctation degrees using aortas across a wide range of aortic stiffnesses. Our principal finding is that CoA increases cerebral blood flow and harmful pulsatile energy transmission to the brain. Conversely, both renal blood flow and pulsatile energy transmission to the kidneys are reduced in CoA at every level of aortic stiffness.

Detecting heart failure from B-mode ultrasound characterization of arterial pulse waves

This study investigated the sensitivity and specificity of identifying heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) from measurements of the intensity and timing of arterial pulse waves. Previously validated methods combining ultrafast B-mode ultrasound, plane-wave transmission, singular value decomposition (SVD), and speckle tracking were used to characterize the compression and decompression ("S" and "D") waves occurring in early and late systole, respectively, in the carotid arteries of outpatients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40%, determined by echocardiography, and signs and symptoms of heart failure, or with LVEF ≥ 50% and no signs or symptoms of heart failure. On average, the HFrEF group had significantly reduced S-wave intensity and energy, a greater interval between the R wave of the ECG and the S wave, a reduced interval between the S and D waves, and an increase in the S-wave shift (SWS), a novel metric that characterizes the shift in timing of the S wave away from the R wave of the ECG and toward the D wave (all P < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) were used to quantify for the first time how well wave metrics classified individual participants. S-wave intensity and energy gave areas under the ROC of 0.76-0.83, the ECG-S-wave interval gave 0.85-0.88, and the S-wave shift gave 0.88-0.92. Hence the methods, which are simple to use and do not require complex interpretation, provide sensitive and specific identification of HFrEF. If similar results were obtained in primary care, they could form the basis of techniques for heart failure screening.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that heart failure with reduced ejection fraction can be detected with excellent sensitivity and specificity in individual patients by using B-mode ultrasound to detect altered pulse wave intensity and timing in the carotid artery.

Carotid wave analysis in young adults with a history of adolescent anorexia nervosa: a case control study

BACKGROUND

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with abnormalities that may increase the risk of future cardiovascular disease. This study assessed the cardiovascular health of individuals who recovered from AN during adolescence by conducting wave power analysis.

METHODS

Former AN patients discharged from the Royal Children's and Monash Children's Hospitals (N = 17) in Melbourne, Australia underwent ultrasound imaging of the right carotid artery. Wave power analysis was conducted to assess biomechanical interactions of the cardiovascular system. Patient measures were compared to healthy controls (N = 51).

RESULTS

Eighty-eight percent of the former AN patients and controls were female, aged approximately 25 years, with a healthy body mass index. Mean carotid flow and pulsatility index were not different between groups. Carotid arterial strain and distensibility were lower, and the wave speed and beta stiffness index higher in the former AN patients. Characteristic impedance was not different nor were the forward and backward wave amplitudes. However, wave reflection indices (ratios of backward-to-forward compression wave area, and wave-related effect on pressure and hydraulic power) were 12-18% lower in the former AN patients (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased carotid artery stiffness and reduced wave reflection are evident in young adults who recovered from adolescent AN. This may relate to an adaptive process that helps to maintain or restore flow and characteristic impedance despite increased vessel stiffness, with this warranting future investigation.

Mechanistic insights on age-related changes in heart-aorta-brain hemodynamic coupling using a pulse wave model of the entire circulatory system

Age-related changes in aortic biomechanics can impact the brain by reducing blood flow and increasing pulsatile energy transmission. Clinical studies have shown that impaired cardiac function in patients with heart failure is associated with cognitive impairment. Although previous studies have attempted to elucidate the complex relationship between age-associated aortic stiffening and pulsatility transmission to the cerebral network, they have not adequately addressed the effect of interactions between aortic stiffness and left ventricle (LV) contractility (neither on energy transmission nor on brain perfusion). In this study, we use a well-established and validated one-dimensional blood flow and pulse wave computational model of the circulatory system to address how age-related changes in cardiac function and vasculature affect the underlying mechanisms involved in the LV-aorta-brain hemodynamic coupling. Our results reveal how LV contractility affects pulsatile energy transmission to the brain, even with preserved cardiac output. Our model demonstrates the existence of an optimal heart rate (near the normal human heart rate) that minimizes pulsatile energy transmission to the brain at different contractility levels. Our findings further suggest that the reduction in cerebral blood flow at low levels of LV contractility is more prominent in the setting of age-related aortic stiffening. Maintaining optimal blood flow to the brain requires either an increase in contractility or an increase in heart rate. The former consistently leads to higher pulsatile power transmission, and the latter can either increase or decrease subsequent pulsatile power transmission to the brain.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We investigated the impact of major aging mechanisms of the arterial system and cardiac function on brain hemodynamics. Our findings suggest that aging has a significant impact on heart-aorta-brain coupling through changes in both arterial stiffening and left ventricle (LV) contractility. Understanding the underlying physical mechanisms involved here can potentially be a key step for developing more effective therapeutic strategies that can mitigate the contributions of abnormal LV-arterial coupling toward neurodegenerative diseases and dementia.

Arterial wave dynamics preservation upon orthostatic stress: a modelling perspective

Pressure-flow travelling waves are a key topic for understanding arterial haemodynamics. However, wave transmission and reflection processes induced by body posture changes have not been thoroughly explored yet. Current in vivo research has shown that the amount of wave reflection detected at a central level (ascending aorta, aortic arch) decreases during tilting to the upright position, despite the widely proved stiffening of the cardiovascular system. It is known that the arterial system is optimized when in the supine position, i.e. propagation of direct waves is enabled and reflected waves are trapped, protecting the heart; however, it is not known whether this is preserved with postural changes. To shed light on these aspects, we propose a multi-scale modelling approach to inquire into posture-induced arterial wave dynamics elicited by simulated head-up tilting. In spite of remarkable adaptation of the human vasculature following posture changes, our analysis shows that, upon tilting from supine to upright: (i) vessel lumens at arterial bifurcations remain well matched in the forward direction, (ii) wave reflection at central level is reduced due to the backward propagation of weakened pressure waves produced by cerebral autoregulation, and (iii) backward wave trapping is preserved.

Effects of vessel wall mechanics on non-invasive evaluation of cardiovascular intrinsic frequencies

Intrinsic Frequency (IF) is a systems-based approach that provides valuable information for hemodynamic monitoring of the left ventricle (LV), the arterial system, and their coupling. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated the clinical significance of this method for prognosis and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. In IF analysis, two dominant instantaneous frequencies (ω₁ and ω₂) are extracted from arterial pressure waveforms. The value of ω₁ is related to the dynamics of the LV and the value of ω₂ is related to the dynamics of vascular function. This work investigates the effects of vessel wall mechanics on the accuracy and applicability of IFs extracted from vessel wall displacement waveforms compared to IFs extracted from pressure waveforms. In this study, we used a computational approach employing a fluid-structure interaction finite element method for various wall mechanics governed by linearly elastic, hyperelastic, and viscoelastic models. Results show that for vessels with elastic wall behavior, the error between displacement-based and pressure-based IFs is negligible. In the presence of stenosis or aneurysm in elastic arteries, the maximum errors associated with displacement-based IFs is less than 2%. For non-linear elastic and viscoelastic arteries, errors are more pronounced (where the former reaches up to 11% and the latter up to 27%). Our results ultimately suggest that displacement-based computations of ω₁ and ω₂ are accurate in vessels that exhibit elastic behavior (such as carotid arteries) and are suitable surrogates for pressure-based IFs. This is clinically significant because displacement-based IFs can be measured non-invasively.

Personalized 0D-1D multiscale hemodynamic modeling and wave dynamics analysis of cerebral circulation for an elderly patient with dementia

Senile dementia is associated with pronounced alterations in cerebral circulation. A fundamental understanding of intracranial hemodynamics and wave dynamics is essential for assessing dementia risk. Recent findings suggest that higher carotid artery wave intensity (WI) can predict future cognitive impairments in the elderly. However, wave power (WP) is more advantageous for assessing the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia because of its conservative form, which allows quantification of detailed WP distribution among the entire cerebrovascular network. Unfortunately, intracranial hemodynamics and wave dynamics in elderly patients with dementia remain poorly understood due to ethical issues and technical challenges. In this paper, we proposed a novel and easily achievable personalized methodology for the 0D-1D model of cerebral circulation using widely available clinical data on transcranial Doppler ultrasonography velocity, cerebral artery anatomy from magnetic resonance imaging, and brachial artery pressure. Using the proposed model, we simulated the cerebral blood flows and compared the wave dynamics between a healthy elderly subject and one living with dementia. Moreover, we performed a variance-based global sensitivity analysis to quantify the model-predicted WI and WP sensitivity to the uncertainties of model inputs. This provided more precise information for model personalization and further insights into the wave dynamics of cerebral circulation. In conclusion, the proposed personalized model framework provides a practical approach for patient-specific modeling and WI/WP analysis of cerebral circulation through noninvasive clinical data. The wave dynamics features of higher WI and lower WP in cerebral arteries may be an invaluable biomarker for assessing dementia risk.

Wave Reflection at the Origin of a First-Generation Branch Artery and Target Organ Protection: The AGES-Reykjavik Study

[Figure: see text].

Measurement, Analysis and Interpretation of Pressure/Flow Waves in Blood Vessels

The optimal performance of the cardiovascular system, as well as the break-down of this performance with disease, both involve complex biomechanical interactions between the heart, conduit vascular networks and microvascular beds. ‘Wave analysis’ refers to a group of techniques that provide valuable insight into these interactions by scrutinizing the shape of blood pressure and flow/velocity waveforms. The aim of this review paper is to provide a comprehensive introduction to wave analysis, with a focus on key concepts and practical application rather than mathematical derivations. We begin with an overview of invasive and non-invasive measurement techniques that can be used to obtain the signals required for wave analysis. We then review the most widely used wave analysis techniques—pulse wave analysis, wave separation and wave intensity analysis—and associated methods for estimating local wave speed or characteristic impedance that are required for decomposing waveforms into forward and backward wave components. This is followed by a discussion of the biomechanical phenomena that generate waves and the processes that modulate wave amplitude, both of which are critical for interpreting measured wave patterns. Finally, we provide a brief update on several emerging techniques/concepts in the wave analysis field, namely wave potential and the reservoir-excess pressure approach.

Conduit arterial wave reflection promotes pressure transmission but impedes hydraulic energy transmission to the microvasculature

With aging, a reduction in the stiffness gradient between elastic and muscular arteries is thought to reduce wave reflection in conduit arteries, leading to increased pulsatile pressure transmission into the microvasculature. This assumes that wave reflection limits pressure transmission in arteries. However, using a computational model, we showed that wave reflection promotes pulsatile pressure transmission, although it does limit hydraulic energy transmission. Increased microvascular pulse pressure with aging is instead related to decreasing arterial compliance.

Minor impact of constraint from perivascular flow probes on wave intensity analysis

Perivascular flow probes are considered the gold-standard for measuring volumetric blood flow in animal studies. Although flow probes are generally placed non-constrictively around the vessel of interest, pressure-elevating interventions performed during an experiment may lead to vessel expansion and some probe-vessel impingement, particularly in highly compliant vessels such as adult sheep aorta or major pulmonary arteries in fetus lambs. This study assessed to what extent such mild flow probe constraint may impact on wave intensity analysis. We also investigated whether errors arising from flow probe constraint could explain apparent pressure reflection indices (R_p > 1) that have been observed in fetus lamb pulmonary arteries under some experimental conditions. These questions were investigated with one-dimensional models of an adult sheep aorta and fetus lamb pulmonary artery, with a virtual flow probe incorporated as a non-linear external constraint term in the vessel constitutive equation. Model-derived flow and pressure were subjected to standard analysis procedures that would be applied experimentally (correcting for apparent velocity lags and calculating wave speed via the PU-loop method). For the adult sheep model, simulations covering a wide range of haemodynamic conditions revealed a mostly minor effect (<10%) of probe constraint on the intensity and pressure effects of the three major waves (forward compression wave, forward decompression wave, backward compression wave). Moreover, flow probe constraint had essentially no impact on R_p in the fetus lamb model, suggesting that such constraint is unlikely to be responsible for an observed R_p > 1. Mild flow probe constraint is likely to have little impact on wave intensity analysis.

Unveiling the Vascular Mechanisms Behind Long-Term Effects of Coarctation Treatment Using Pulse Wave Dynamics

See Article by Martins et al and Kowalski et al

Pulsatile arterial haemodynamics in heart failure

Due to the cyclic function of the human heart, pressure and flow in the circulation are pulsatile rather than continuous. Addressing pulsatile haemodynamics starts with the most convenient measurement, brachial pulse pressure, which is widely available, related to development and treatment of heart failure (HF), but often confounded in patients with established HF. The next level of analysis consists of central (rather than brachial) pressures and, more importantly, of wave reflections. The latter are closely related to left ventricular late systolic afterload, ventricular remodelling, diastolic dysfunction, exercise capacity, and, in the long-term, the risk of new-onset HF. Wave reflection may also represent a suitable therapeutic target. Treatments for HF with preserved and reduced ejection fraction, based on a reduction of wave reflection, are emerging. A full understanding of ventricular-arterial coupling, however, requires dedicated analysis of time-resolved pressure and flow signals, which can be readily accomplished with contemporary non-invasive imaging and modelling techniques. This review provides a summary of our current understanding of pulsatile haemodynamics in HF.

Measuring the Interaction Between the Macro- and Micro-Vasculature

Structural and functional dysfunction in both the macro- and microvasculature are a feature of essential hypertension. In a healthy cardiovascular system, the elastic properties of the large arteries ensure that pulsations in pressure and flow generated by cyclic left ventricular contraction are dampened, so that less pulsatile pressure and flow are delivered at the microvascular level. However, in response to aging, hypertension, and other disease states, arterial stiffening limits the buffering capacity of the elastic arteries, thus exposing the microvasculature to increased pulsatile stress. This is thought to be particularly pertinent to high flow/low resistance organs such as the brain and kidney, which may be sensitive to excess pressure and flow pulsatility, damaging capillary networks, and resulting in target organ damage. In this review, we describe the clinical relevance of the pulsatile interaction between the macro- and microvasculature and summarize current methods for measuring the transmission of pulsatility between the two sites.

A 1D computer model of the arterial circulation in horses: An important resource for studying global interactions between heart and vessels under normal and pathological conditions

Arterial rupture in horses has been observed during exercise, after phenylephrine administration or during parturition (uterine artery). In human pathophysiological research, the use of computer models for studying arterial hemodynamics and understanding normal and abnormal characteristics of arterial pressure and flow waveforms is very common. The objective of this research was to develop a computer model of the equine arterial circulation, in order to study local intra-arterial pressures and flow dynamics in horses. Morphologically, large differences exist between human and equine aortic arch and arterial branching patterns. Development of the present model was based on post-mortem obtained anatomical data of the arterial tree (arterial lengths, diameters and branching angles); in vivo collected ultrasonographic flow profiles from the common carotid artery, external iliac artery, median artery and aorta; and invasively collected pressure curves from carotid artery and aorta. These data were used as input for a previously validated (in humans) 1D arterial network model. Data on terminal resistance and arterial compliance parameters were tuned to equine physiology. Given the large arterial diameters, Womersley theory was used to compute friction coefficients, and the input into the arterial system was provided via a scaled time-varying elastance model of the left heart. Outcomes showed plausible predictions of pressure and flow waveforms throughout the considered arterial tree. Simulated flow waveform morphology was in line with measured flow profiles. Consideration of gravity further improved model based predicted waveforms. Derived flow waveform patterns could be explained using wave power analysis. The model offers possibilities as a research tool to predict changes in flow profiles and local pressures as a result of strenuous exercise or altered arterial wall properties related to age, breed or gender.

Reduced Aortic Distensibility is Associated With Higher Aorto-Carotid Wave Transmission and Central Aortic Systolic Pressure in Young Adults After Coarctation Repair

Background The long-term prognosis of patients with repaired aortic coarctation is characterized by high rates of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease related to hypertension, the basis of which remains unclear. To define potential underlying mechanisms, we investigated aortic and carotid arterial biomechanics and wave dynamics, and determinants of aortic systolic blood pressure, in young adults after coarctation repair. Methods and Results Aortic arch and carotid biomechanics, wave intensity and wave power, and central aortic blood pressure, were derived from echocardiography and brachial blood pressure in 43 young adults after coarctation repair and 42 controls. Coarctation subjects had higher brachial and central systolic blood pressure ( P=0.04), while aortic compliance was lower and characteristic impedance (Zc) higher. Although carotid intima-media thickness was higher ( P<0.001), carotid biomechanics were no different. Carotid forward compression wave power was higher and was negatively correlated with aortic compliance ( R2=0.42, P<0.001) and distensibility ( R2=0.37, P=0.001) in coarctation subjects. Aortic wave power and wave reflection indices were no different in control and coarctation patients, but coarctation patients with elevated aortic Zc had greater aorto-carotid transmission of forward compression wave power ( P=0.006). Aortic distensibility was the only independent predictor of central aortic systolic blood pressure on multivariable analysis. Conclusions Young adults following coarctation repair had a less compliant aorta, but no change in carotid biomechanics. Reduced aortic distensibility was related to greater transmission of aortic forward wave energy into the carotid artery and higher central aortic systolic blood pressure. These findings suggest that reduced aortic distensibility may contribute to later cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease after coarctation repair.

Comparison of invasive and non-invasive aortic wave intensity and wave power analyses in sheep

OBJECTIVE

Wave intensity (WI) and wave power (WP) analyses are powerful approaches for assessing ventricular-vascular interactions and arterial dynamics using invasive and non-invasive methods. However, in vivo comparison of these methods for large arteries is lacking. This study assessed agreement, correlation and relative changes in wave size in invasive and non-invasive aortic WI/WP analyses, and associated sources of error.

APPROACH

The proximal descending thoracic aorta (DTA) of nine wethers was instrumented with a micromanometer and perivascular transit-time flow probe to measure high-fidelity blood pressure (P) and flow (Q) for invasive WI/WP analyses at baseline and during haemodynamic perturbations produced by cardiac pacing, distal DTA constriction and dobutamine-induced inotropic stimulation. In 212 experimental runs, concurrent echocardiographic DTA diameter and velocity (U) data were acquired for non-invasive WI/WP analyses, with measurement of forward compression wave (FCW), backward compression wave (BCW) and forward decompression wave (FDW) cumulative intensity (CI), cumulative power (CP) and wave-related pressure changes (ΔP).

MAIN RESULTS

Although agreement between invasive and non-invasive FCW, BCW and FDW CI/CP measures was variable (bias  -84% to  +7%), correlation was good (R  =  0.66-0.84), with lower bias and higher correlation for ΔP variables and similar relative changes in FCW and BCW CI/ΔP during haemodynamic perturbations. Main error sources were overestimation of invasive U due to assumed fixed vessel diameter, inaccuracies in non-invasive Q, and non-invasive underestimation of peak P/U and Q rates of change.

SIGNIFICANCE

Despite variable agreement, non-invasive CI/CP indices correlate well with invasive measurements, and detect relative changes in major waves induced by haemodynamic perturbations.

Effect of organic and inorganic nitrates on cerebrovascular pulsatile power transmission in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction

OBJECTIVE

Increased penetration of pulsatile power to the brain has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related cognitive dysfunction and dementia, a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, there is a lack of knowledge on the effects of organic and inorganic nitrates administration in this population on the power carried by pressure and flow waves traveling through the proximal aorta and penetrating the carotid artery into the brain microvasculature.

APPROACH

We assessed aortic and carotid hemodynamics non-invasively in two sub-studies: (1) at baseline and after administration of 0.4 mg of sublingual nitroglycerine (an organic nitrate; n  =  26); and (2) in a randomized controlled trial of placebo (PB) versus inorganic nitrate administration (beetroot-juice (BR), 12.9 mmol NO₃; n  =  16).

MAIN RESULTS

Wave and hydraulic power analysis demonstrated that NTG increased total hydraulic power (from 5.68% at baseline to 8.62%, P  =  0.001) and energy penetration (from 8.69% to 11.63%; P  =  0.01) from the aorta to the carotid, while inorganic nitrate administration did not induce significant changes in aortic and carotid wave power (power: 5.49%PB versus 6.25%BR, P  =  0.49; energy: 8.89%PB versus 10.65%BR, P  =  0.27).

SIGNIFICANCE

Organic nitrates, but not inorganic nitrates, increase the amount of hydraulic energy transmitted into the carotid artery in subjects with HFpEF. These findings may have implications for the adverse effect profiles of these agents (such as the differential incidence of headaches) and for the pulsatile hemodynamic stress of the brain microvasculature in this patient population.

Major influence of a 'smoke and mirrors' effect caused by wave reflection on early diastolic coronary arterial wave intensity

KEY POINTS

Coronary wave intensity analysis (WIA) is an emerging technique for assessing upstream and downstream influences on myocardial perfusion. It is thought that a dominant backward decompression wave (BDW_dia ) is generated by a distal suction effect, while early-diastolic forward decompression (FDW_dia ) and compression (FCW_dia ) waves originate in the aorta. We show that wave reflection also makes a substantial contribution to FDW_dia , FCW_dia and BDW_dia , as quantified by a novel method. In 18 sheep, wave reflection accounted for ∼70% of BDW_dia , whereas distal suction dominated in a computer model representing a hypertensive human. Non-linear addition/subtraction of mechanistically distinct waves (e.g. wave reflection and distal suction) obfuscates the true contribution of upstream and downstream forces on measured waves (the 'smoke and mirrors' effect). The mechanisms underlying coronary WIA are more complex than previously thought and the impact of wave reflection should be considered when interpreting clinical and experimental data.

ABSTRACT

Coronary arterial wave intensity analysis (WIA) is thought to provide clear insight into upstream and downstream forces on coronary flow, with a large early-diastolic surge in coronary flow accompanied by a prominent backward decompression wave (BDW_dia ), as well as a forward decompression wave (FDW_dia ) and forward compression wave (FCW_dia ). The BDW_dia is believed to arise from distal suction due to release of extravascular compression by relaxing myocardium, while FDW_dia and FCW_dia are thought to be transmitted from the aorta into the coronary arteries. Based on an established multi-scale computational model and high-fidelity measurements from the proximal circumflex artery (Cx) of 18 anaesthetized sheep, we present evidence that wave reflection has a major impact on each of these three waves, with a non-linear addition/subtraction of reflected waves obscuring the true influence of upstream and downstream forces through concealment and exaggeration, i.e. a 'smoke and mirrors' effect. We also describe methods, requiring additional measurement of aortic WIA, for unravelling the separate influences of wave reflection versus active upstream/downstream forces on coronary waves. Distal wave reflection accounted for ∼70% of the BDW_dia in sheep, but had a lesser influence (∼25%) in the computer model representing a hypertensive human. Negative reflection of the BDW_dia at the coronary-aortic junction attenuated the Cx FDW_dia (by ∼40% in sheep) and augmented Cx FCW_dia (∼5-fold), relative to the corresponding aortic waves. We conclude that wave reflection has a major influence on early-diastolic WIA, and thus needs to be considered when interpreting coronary WIA profiles.

Pulse Waveform Analysis: Is It Ready for Prime Time?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Arterial pulse waveform analysis has a long tradition but has not pervaded medical routine yet. This review aims to answer the question whether the methodology is ready for prime time use. The current methodological consensus is assessed, existing technologies for waveform measurement and pulse wave analysis are discussed, and further needs for a widespread use are proposed.

RECENT FINDINGS

A consensus document on the understanding and analysis of the pulse waveform was published recently. Although still some discrepancies remain, the analysis using both pressure and flow waves is favoured. However, devices which enable pulse wave measurement are limited, and the comparability between devices is not sufficiently given. Pulse waveform analysis has the potential for prime time. It is currently on a way towards broader use, but still needs to overcome challenges before settling its role in medical routine.