Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a noninvasive method of estimating arterial stiffness. Patients with increased arterial stiffness are at risk for coronary artery disease and other manifestations of atherosclerosis.
Equipment:
(1) external method of detecting the pulse over the left carotid artery
(2) external method of detecting the pulse over the right femoral artery
(3) an accurate and reliable timer capable of measuring fractions of a second
Parameters:
(1) distance in meters between the left carotid artery and the right femoral artery
(2) time difference in seconds between the pulse peak in the left carotid artery and the pulse peak in the right femoral artery
Method: The time difference is measured >= 3 times and averaged.
pulse wave velocity in m/s =
= (distance in meters) / (time interval in seconds)
Interpretation:
• The normal pulse wave velocity is around 8 m/s.
• The PWV increases with hypertension and increasing arterial stiffness.
• A higher PWV is associated with coronary artery disease.
• In the study of Alarhabi et al, the mean PWV in normals was 8.1 seconds with 10.6 representing the mean + 2 SD (1.25 s).
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