Vascular ageing and peripheral pulse: an improved model for assessing their relationship

Objective. Vascular ageing is associated with several alterations, including arterial stiffness and
endothelial dysfunction. Such alterations represent an independent factor in the development of
cardiovascular disease (CVD). In our previous works we demonstrated the alterations occurring in the
vascular system are themselves reflected in the shape of the peripheral waveform; thus, a model that
describes the waveform as a sum of Gaussian curves provides a set of parameters that successfully
discriminate between under ( ?35 years old) and over subjects (>35 years old). In the present work,
we explored the feasibility of a new decomposition model, based on a sum of exponential pulses,
applied to the same problem. Approach. The first processing step extracts each pulsation from the
input signal and removes the long-term trend using a cubic spline with nodes between consecutive
pulsations. After that, a Least Squares fitting algorithm determines the se...

Source: Physiological Measurement - December 29, 2021 Category: Physiology Authors: Cosimo Aliani, Eva Rossi, Piergiorgio Francia and Leonardo Bocchi Source Type: research