Noninvasive pulse wave analysis for the determination of central artery stiffness.

Central artery stiffness predicts cardiovascular structural damage and clinical outcome. It is controversial whether central artery stiffness can be determined by noninvasive measurements. We compared noninvasive determination of central artery stiffness obtained from applanation tonometry of the peripheral radial artery waveform with invasive measurements of the ratio of pulse-pressure-to-stroke-volume.

Noninvasive cardiac output determination using applanation tonometry-derived radial artery pulse contour analysis in critically ill patients.

Conventional thermodilution cardiac output (CO) monitoring is limited mainly to intensive care units and operating rooms because it requires the use of invasive techniques. To reduce the potential for complications and to broaden the applicability of hemodynamic monitoring, noninvasive methods for CO determination are being sought. Applanation tonometry allows noninvasive CO estimation through pulse contour analysis, but the method has not been evaluated in critically ill patients.