Estimation of Heart Rate Variability from Finger Photoplethysmography During Rest, Mild Exercise and Mild Mental Stress.

Due to the possibilities in miniaturization and wearability, photoplethysmography (PPG) has recently gained a large interest not only for heart rate measurement, but also for estimating heart rate variability, which is derived from ECG by convention. The agreement between PPG and ECG-based HRV has been assessed in several studies, but the feasibility of PPG-based HRV estimation is still largely unknown for many conditions. In this study, we assess the feasibility of HRV estimation based on finger PPG during rest, mild physical exercise and mild mental stress.

Bioimpedance and NIR for Non-invasive Assessment of Blood Glucose.

Sixteen volunteers each drank 700 ml sugar-containing soft drink during two successive periods and the blood sugar was measured at 10 min intervals together with electrical impedance spectroscopy and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR). A maximum correlation of 0.46 was found for the electrical measurements but no clear separation between low and high blood glucose levels were found in the NIR measurements.

Measuring Blood Pulse Wave Velocity with Bioimpedance in Different Age Groups.

In this project, we have studied the use of electrical impedance cardiography as a possible method for measuring blood pulse wave velocity, and hence be an aid in the assessment of the degree of arteriosclerosis. Using two different four-electrode setups, we measured the timing of the systolic pulse at two locations, the upper arm and the thorax, and found that the pulse wave velocity was in general higher in older volunteers and furthermore that it was also more heart rate dependent for older subjects. We attribute this to the fact that the degree of arteriosclerosis typically increases with age and that stiffening of the arterial wall will make the arteries less able to comply with increased heart rate (and corresponding blood pressure), without leading to increased pulse wave velocity.