A new plethysmographic method that allows the non-invasive assessment of forearm arterial compliance (FAC) was developed. A study was carried out in order to demonstrate its feasibility, reproducibility and capacity to detect changes induced by nitrates or by muscarinic stimuli. Moreover, it has been investigated whether the proposed method was sensitive enough to detect differences in FAC between normo- and hypercholesterolemic subjects. Simultaneous recordings of forearm pulse volume and blood pressure (BP) over the whole cardiac cycle are used to establish the pulse volume-BP relationship. Due to the not uniform structural composition of the arterial media this relationship is non-linear. Thus, compliance can be defined only in terms of a given BP. In order to compute the non-linear compliance and to account for the BP dependence, FAC was measured on-line by computing the ratio of dV/dP, and the area under the FAC/BP curve (FAC(AUC)) was determined in a standard range of blood pressures (70-130 mmHg). The method is highly reproducible; indeed, the FAC(AUC) values obtained from 16 subjects with two independent observations were highly significantly correlated (r=0.91; p<0.0001, C.V.=15.2%). The method is also highly sensitive to nitrate and muscarinic stimuli. The results show a reduced FAC(AUC) in hypercholesterolemics vs controls [2.28±0.8x10E-3 vs 4.12±1.06x10E-3 (ml/100ml forearm/mmHg)•mmHg; p=0.0001]. In conclusion, this new plethysmographic method, allows the non-invasive assessment of the forearm arterial compliance and provides a potentially useful tool to detect and monitor in vivo, without stimulating arterial dilatation e.g. by acetylcholine infusion, the functional arterial changes in subjects with major risk factors for arterial disease as well as the effects of dietary/drug treatments.

A new method for the non-invasive assessment of forearm arterial compliance in human subjects: impaired arterial compliance in hypercholesterolemia / D. Baldassarre, G. Gianfranceschi, F. Pazzucconi, C. Sirtori. ((Intervento presentato al 66. convegno CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN ATHEROSCLEROSIS SOCIETY tenutosi a Firenze nel 1996.

A new method for the non-invasive assessment of forearm arterial compliance in human subjects: impaired arterial compliance in hypercholesterolemia

D. Baldassarre
Primo
;
F. Pazzucconi
Penultimo
;
C. Sirtori
Ultimo
1996

Abstract

A new plethysmographic method that allows the non-invasive assessment of forearm arterial compliance (FAC) was developed. A study was carried out in order to demonstrate its feasibility, reproducibility and capacity to detect changes induced by nitrates or by muscarinic stimuli. Moreover, it has been investigated whether the proposed method was sensitive enough to detect differences in FAC between normo- and hypercholesterolemic subjects. Simultaneous recordings of forearm pulse volume and blood pressure (BP) over the whole cardiac cycle are used to establish the pulse volume-BP relationship. Due to the not uniform structural composition of the arterial media this relationship is non-linear. Thus, compliance can be defined only in terms of a given BP. In order to compute the non-linear compliance and to account for the BP dependence, FAC was measured on-line by computing the ratio of dV/dP, and the area under the FAC/BP curve (FAC(AUC)) was determined in a standard range of blood pressures (70-130 mmHg). The method is highly reproducible; indeed, the FAC(AUC) values obtained from 16 subjects with two independent observations were highly significantly correlated (r=0.91; p<0.0001, C.V.=15.2%). The method is also highly sensitive to nitrate and muscarinic stimuli. The results show a reduced FAC(AUC) in hypercholesterolemics vs controls [2.28±0.8x10E-3 vs 4.12±1.06x10E-3 (ml/100ml forearm/mmHg)•mmHg; p=0.0001]. In conclusion, this new plethysmographic method, allows the non-invasive assessment of the forearm arterial compliance and provides a potentially useful tool to detect and monitor in vivo, without stimulating arterial dilatation e.g. by acetylcholine infusion, the functional arterial changes in subjects with major risk factors for arterial disease as well as the effects of dietary/drug treatments.
1996
Settore BIO/14 - Farmacologia
A new method for the non-invasive assessment of forearm arterial compliance in human subjects: impaired arterial compliance in hypercholesterolemia / D. Baldassarre, G. Gianfranceschi, F. Pazzucconi, C. Sirtori. ((Intervento presentato al 66. convegno CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN ATHEROSCLEROSIS SOCIETY tenutosi a Firenze nel 1996.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/211635
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