Different methods of arterial compliance estimation tested with reservoir-wave model of arterial system

Abstract

Arterial compliance (C) describes the ability of the arterial system to increase volume (V) with increasing pressure (P). Compliance is a marker of preclinical vascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factor. There are many different methods estimating arterial compliance. The aim of this study was to find out whether three of them: diastolic decay time method, pulse pressure method and area method are able to recover assumed value of C, when applied to reservoir-wave model of arterial system. This model assumes that arterial pressure is sum of two components: pressure caused by blood flow and pressure resulting from change in arterial blood volume. We calculate aortic blood pressure using reservoir-wave model for given blood flow and different values of model parameters Z—arterial impedance (0.1 < Z < 0.4) C—compliance (0.6 < C < 2.0), R—total peripheral resistance (0.5 < R < 3.0) Next, we use above mentioned three methods of compliance estimation and compared recovered value of C with value of C used in reservoir—wave model. We found, that area method showed best agreement between assumed and calculated arterial compliance C. Also diastolic decay time method can be used but estimated R may be misleading. Pulse pressure method produced erroneous estimates of assumed C values.