The Noninvasive Measurement of Central Aortic Blood Pressure Waveform

Abstract

Central aortic pressure (CAP) is a potential surrogate of brachial blood pressure in both clinical practice and routine health screening. It directly reflects the status of the central aorta. Noninvasive measurement of CAP becomes a crucial technique of great interest. There have been advances in recent years, including the proposal of novel methods and commercialization of several instruments. This chapter briefly introduces the clinical importance of CAP and the theoretical basis for the generation of CAP in the first and second sections. The third section describes and discusses the measurement of periph- eral blood pressure waveforms, which is employed to estimate CAP. We then review the proposed methods for the measurement of CAP. The calibration of blood pressure waveforms is discussed in the fourth section. After a brief discussion of the technical limitations, we give suggestions for perspectives and future challenges.