Explore the vast range of titles available.

The aim of this study was to explore whether 24‐h ambulatory central (aortic) blood pressure (BP) has an advantage over office central aortic BP in screening for hypertension‐mediated target organ damage (HMOD). A total of 714 inpatients with primary hypertension and the presence of several cardiovascular risk factors or complications involving clinical HMOD were enrolled. Twenty‐four hour central aortic BP was measured by means of a noninvasive automated oscillometric device (Mobil‐O‐Graph). Office BP was measured with a validated oscillometric Omron device after a 5‐min rest in a sitting position. Central aortic pressure waveforms were derived from the radial pressure waveforms with a validated transfer function of the Sphygmocor software, version 8.0 (Atcor Medical, Sydney, Australia). Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cf‐PWV) measurement was performed by sequential placement of the transducer on the femoral artery and carotid artery and determining transit time between the two pulses in reference to the R wave of the ECG. cf‐PWV was calculated as the measured distance from the suprasternal notch to the femoral artery minus the distance from the suprasternal notch to the carotid artery divided by the pulse transit time. HMOD was defined as the presence of carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) above normal values and/or carotid plaque, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), renal abnormalities as assessed by urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) above normal values and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or increased cf‐PWV > 10 m/s. In the study cohort of 714 (age 54.52 ± 13.24 years, 74.6% male) patients with primary hypertension, LV mass index (LVMI) was significantly higher in males (p < 0.002) and eGFR was significantly lower in males (p < 0.001). However, there was no statistical significance between males and females in IMT, ACR, and cfPWV. When accounting for confounding factors (age, sex, BMI, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, glucose, smoking, and heart rate), central systolic (cSBP), diastolic (DBP), and pulse (cPP) pressure obtained with 24‐h monitoring was more strongly correlated with LVMI than office measurements. Twenty‐four hour cSBP and cPP were more strongly correlated with IMT than those of office monitoring. The 24‐h augmentation index (AIx) was more strongly correlated with eGFR than office AIX. Twnety‐four hour cSBP and cPP were more strongly correlated with lgACR. Office AIx and cPP were more strongly correlated with c‐fPWV than 24‐h measurements while cSBP, DBP, and cPP obtained by both methods were equally correlated with c‐fPWV. Ambulatory central (aortic) pressure may be more strongly related to HMOD than office CAP which may have an advantage in screening for c‐fPWV. Trial Registration: Registration number: ChiCTR2000040308

Background: Hypotensive events may occur during surgical interventions and are associated with major postoperative complications, depending on their duration and severity. Intraoperative hemodynamic goal-directed therapy can reduce postoperative complications and mortality in high-risk surgeries and high-risk patients. The study hypothesis was that a proactive approach by hypotension predictive index (HPI) is more effective than a reactive goal-directed therapy (GDT) in reducing the number of hypotensive events during radical cystectomy and that this is associated with improved postoperative outcomes. Methods: The study was a single-center prospective observational study conducted at Galliera Hospital, from November 2019 to February 2025, with a before-after population of sixty-seven patients with reactive approach (GDT group) and sixty-five patients with a proactive approach (HPI group) undergoing radical cystectomy, managed with a standardized ERAS protocol and invasive or non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring. The aim of the study was to compare the incidence, duration, and severity of intraoperative hypotensive episodes between a proactive approach guided by the Hypotension Prediction Index (HPI) and a reactive goal-directed therapy (GDT) strategy guided by an advanced hemodynamic monitoring system. Results: The HPI group had a 65% reduction in hypotensive events (225 vs. 633, p < 0.001), with a 72% reduction in their duration (14 vs. 49 min, p < 0.001) and an 85% reduction in their severity (time-weighted average MAP < 65 mmHg 0.11 vs. 0.76, p < 0.001) compared to the GDT group. The HPI-guided group showed a reduction in postoperative infectious complications (10 vs. 26) and in-hospital length of stay (8 ± 4 versus 13 ± 8 days). Conclusions: A proactive approach may allow attenuating the occurrence and severity of hypotensive events more than a reactive goal-directed approach during radical cystectomy.

Pressure–strain loop (PSL) analysis integrates myocardial deformation with estimated left ventricular pressure and may provide a non-invasive approach for assessing ventriculo-arterial coupling. However, its physiological behavior under controlled hemodynamic stress has not been systematically evaluated in humans. In this prospective physiologic study, healthy volunteers underwent standardized hemodynamic maneuvers. One cohort performed semi-supine exercise (contractility-dominant), while a second cohort underwent isometric handgrip followed by modified passive leg raising (afterload- and preload-modulating maneuvers). Left-ventricular PSL indices were derived from speckle-tracking echocardiography combined with brachial pressure calibration. Five pre-specified PSL indices reflecting afterload (PSL-derived arterial elastance (EaPSL), end-systolic pressure), contractility (systolic strain rate, peak systolic strain), and myocardial work (global work index) were defined as co-primary endpoints. Within-subject changes were analyzed using paired tests with Holm–Bonferroni correction. Exercise produced large increases in contractility-sensitive indices (Cohen’s dz 0.88–1.29, all adjusted p  < 0.001), while pressure indices rose selectively with handgrip and modified passive leg raising (Cohen’s dz 0.77–1.21, adjusted p  ≤ 0.001). These findings demonstrate that PSL analysis detects physiologically meaningful hemodynamic responses in humans and yields non-invasive indices whose directional behavior is consistent with established ventriculo–arterial coupling physiology.

This article reviews four new technologies for assessment of coronary hemodynamics based on medical imaging and artificial intelligence, including quantitative flow ratio (QFR), optical flow ratio (OFR), computational fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR). These technologies use medical imaging such as coronary angiography, computed tomography angiography (CTA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), to reconstruct three-dimensional vascular models through artificial intelligence algorithms, simulate and calculate hemodynamic parameters in the coronary arteries, and achieve non-invasive and rapid assessment of the functional significance of coronary stenosis. This article details the working principles, advantages such as non-invasiveness, efficiency, accuracy, limitations such as image dependency, and assumption restrictions, of each technology. It also compares and analyzes the image dependency, calculation accuracy, calculation speed, and operation simplicity, of the four technologies. The results show that these technologies are highly consistent with the traditional invasive wire method, and shows distinct advantages in terms of accuracy, reliability, convenience and cost-effectiveness, but there are also factors that affect accuracy. The results of this review demonstrates that AI-based iFR technology is currently one of the most promising technologies. The main challenges and directions for future development are also discussed. These technologies bring new ideas for the non-invasive assessment of coronary artery disease, and are expected to promote the technological progress in this field.

Background: Non-invasive tracking of beat-to-beat pulse transit time (PTT) via piezoelectric/piezocapacitive sensors (PES/PCS) may expand perioperative hemodynamic monitoring. This study evaluated the ability for PTT via PES/PCS to correlate with systolic, diastolic, and mean invasive blood pressure (SBPIBP, DBPIBP, and MAPIBP, respectively) and to detect SBPIBP fluctuations. Methods: PES/PCS and IBP measurements were performed in 20 patients undergoing abdominal, urological, and cardiac surgery. A Pearson’s correlation analysis (r) between 1/PTT and IBP was performed. The predictive ability of 1/PTT with changes in SBPIBP was determined by area under the curve (reported as AUC, sensitivity, specificity). Results: Significant correlations between 1/PTT and SBPIBP were found for PES (r = 0.64) and PCS (r = 0.55) (p < 0.01), as well as MAPIBP/DBPIBP for PES (r = 0.6/0.55) and PCS (r = 0.5/0.45) (p < 0.05). A 7% decrease in 1/PTTPES predicted a 30% SBPIBP decrease (0.82, 0.76, 0.76), while a 5.6% increase predicted a 30% SBPIBP increase (0.75, 0.7, 0.68). A 6.6% decrease in 1/PTTPCS detected a 30% SBPIBP decrease (0.81, 0.72, 0.8), while a 4.8% 1/PTTPCS increase detected a 30% SBPIBP increase (0.73, 0.64, 0.68). Conclusions: Non-invasive beat-to-beat PTT via PES/PCS demonstrated significant correlations with IBP and detected significant changes in SBPIBP. Thus, PES/PCS as a novel sensor technology may augment intraoperative hemodynamic monitoring during major surgery.

Purpose To develop and validate a continuous non-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring system using photoplethysmography (PPG) technology through pulse oximetry (PO). Methods This prospective study was conducted at a critical care department and post-anesthesia care unit of a university teaching hospital. Inclusion criteria were critically ill adult patients undergoing invasive BP measurement with an arterial catheter and PO monitoring. Exclusion criteria were arrhythmia, imminent death condition, and disturbances in the arterial or the PPG curve morphology. Arterial BP and finger PO waves were recorded simultaneously for 30 min. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) were extracted from computer-assisted arterial pulse wave analysis. Inherent traits of both waves were used to construct a regression model with a Deep Belief Network-Restricted Boltzmann Machine (DBN-RBM) from a training cohort of patients and in order to infer BP values from the PO wave. Bland–Altman analysis was performed. Results A total of 707 patients were enrolled, of whom 135 were excluded. Of the 572 studied, 525 were assigned to the training cohort (TC) and 47 to the validation cohort (VC). After data processing, 53,708 frames were obtained from the TC and 7,715 frames from the VC. The mean prediction biases were −2.98 ± 19.35, −3.38 ± 10.35, and −3.65 ± 8.69 mmHg for SAP, MAP, and DAP respectively. Conclusions BP can be inferred from PPG using DBN-RBM modeling techniques. The results obtained with this technology are promising, but its intrinsic variability and its wide limits of agreement do not allow clinical application at this time.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and cardiovascular disease in the hypertensive population in China and to determine the specific cfPWV cut-off value for assessing future cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 630 hospital patients with primary hypertension and multiple cardiovascular risk factors or complications involving damage to clinical target organs. The study was conducted between July 2007 and October 2008. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk calculations were computed according to criteria presented by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Patients were stratified by a predefined risk threshold of 10% and divided into two groups: ASCVD ≥ 10% or ASCVD < 10%. cfPWV was used as a marker of arterial stiffness. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was applied to establish the optimal cfPWV cut-off point to differentiate between participants with and without ASCVD risk. Results: In the study cohort of 630 patients (age 63.55.2 ± 8.6 years, 61.7% male) with primary hypertension, the pressure indices (augmented pressure, augmentation index [AIx], aortic pulse pressure, aortic systolic pressure [SBP]) and Framingham Risk Scores (FRS) were greater in females than in males (p < 0.001); ASCVD risk scores and peripheral diastolic pressure (DBP) were higher in males (p < 0.05). All hemodynamic indices showed a significant positive correlation with ASCVD risk scores and FRS; AIx was not correlated with ASCVD risk scores. In multivariate logistic analysis, cfPWV was significantly associated with ASCVD risk (OR: 1.324, 95% confidence interval: 1.119–1.565, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, body mass index, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, antihypertensive treatment, statin treatment, and DBP. In the ROC analysis, the area under the curve was 0.758 and 0.672 for cfPWV and aortic SBP (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively); the optimal critical value of cfPWV and aortic SBP was 12.45 m/s (sensitivity 63.2%, specificity 77.8%) and 124.5 mmHg (sensitivity 63.9%, specificity 65.3%). Conclusions: cfPWV is significantly correlated with the risk of ASCVD. The best cut-off value of cfPWV for assessing future CVD risk in the hypertensive population in China is 12.45 m/s.

Background: Reports suggest that adults with post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID may be affected by orthostatic intolerance syndromes, with autonomic nervous system dysfunction as a possible causal factor of neurocardiovascular instability (NCVI). Long COVID can also manifest as prolonged fatigue, which may be linked to neuromuscular function impairment (NMFI). The current clinical assessment for NCVI monitors neurocardiovascular performance upon the application of orthostatic stressors such as an active (i.e., self-induced) stand or a passive (tilt table) standing test. Lower limb muscle contractions may be important in orthostatic recovery via the skeletal muscle pump. In this study, adults with long COVID were assessed with a protocol that, in addition to the standard NCVI tests, incorporated simultaneous lower limb muscle monitoring for NMFI assessment. Methods: To conduct such an investigation, a wide range of continuous non-invasive biomedical sensing technologies were employed, including digital artery photoplethysmography for the extraction of cardiovascular signals, near-infrared spectroscopy for the extraction of regional tissue oxygenation in brain and muscle, and electromyography for assessment of timed muscle contractions in the lower limbs. Results: With the proposed methodology described and exemplified in this paper, we were able to collect relevant physiological data for the assessment of neurocardiovascular and neuromuscular functioning. We were also able to integrate signals from a variety of instruments in a synchronized fashion and visualize the interactions between different physiological signals during the combined NCVI/NMFI assessment. Multiple counts of evidence were collected, which can capture the dynamics between skeletal muscle contractions and neurocardiovascular responses. Conclusions: The proposed methodology can offer an overview of the functioning of the neurocardiovascular and neuromuscular systems in a combined NCVI/NMFI setup and is capable of conducting comparative studies with signals from multiple participants at any given time in the assessment. This could help clinicians and researchers generate and test hypotheses based on the multimodal inspection of raw data in long COVID and other cohorts.

This study aimed to determine standard left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) measurements in swine. Additionally, global myocardial work index (GWI) was estimated using pressure-strain loops (PSL). A comprehensive TEE examination was conducted in ten anesthetized, intubated and mechanically ventilated healthy female German landrace swine, weighing 44 to 57 kg. For GWI calculation, we performed LV and RV segmental strain analysis and used invasively measured LV and RV pressure to obtain PSL. The GWI and further myocardial work indices were calculated from the area of the PSL using commercially available software. Furthermore, hemodynamic measurements were obtained using indwelling catheters. We obtained complete standardized baseline values for left and right ventricular dimensions and function. Biplane LV ejection fraction was 63 ± 7 % and the LV end-diastolic volume was 70.5 ± 5.9 ml. Tissue Doppler estimated peak tricuspid annular systolic velocity was 13.1 ± 1.8 cm/s. The Doppler estimated LV and RV stroke volume index were 75.6 ± 7.2 ml/m2 and 76.7 ± 7.8 ml/m2 respectively. Pulsed wave Doppler derived cardiac output correlated well with cardiac output estimated using the thermodilution method (7.0 ± 1.2 l/min vs. 7.0 ± 1.1 l/min, r = 0.812, p = 0.004). The LV global longitudinal strain was -21.3 ± 3.9 % and the RV global longitudinal strain was -15.4 ± 2.5 %. LV GWI was 1885(1281–2121) mmHg*% and 297 ± 62 mmHg*% for the RV. LV global myocardial work efficiency was 82.6 ± 4 % and 83(72–88) % for the RV. TEE offers sufficient morphological, functional and hemodynamic assessment of the heart in swine. Myocardial contractility and mechanics can be reliably evaluated with the non-invasive GWI derived from echocardiography without additional invasive measures.

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate cardiac preload and identify early predictors of severe trauma in pediatric patients using non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring in the pediatric emergency department. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted at Xi’an Children’s Hospital (June 2022–October 2024) with 167 patients, divided into mild (84) and severe (83) trauma groups. Non-invasive monitoring began shortly after admission, collecting parameters alongside clinical and laboratory assessments. Results No significant differences in demographics or injury characteristics were found between groups. The severe trauma group had higher blood transfusion requirements (TAR) ( p  < 0.01). Hemodynamic parameters showed reduced pre-ejection period (PEP), left ventricular ejection time, and thoracic fluid content ( t  = 5.655, z = -4.368, z = -3.702; p  < 0.01), indicating insufficient preload. Elevated heart rate ( t = -4.127; p  < 0.01) compensated for this. Reduced stroke volume index ( t  = 2.339, p  < 0.05) and higher cardiac index ( z = -1.979; p  < 0.05) suggested compensation for low hemoglobin. The severe group also had elevated white blood cells, blood glucose, lactate, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, ALT, and AST ( p  < 0.01), while hemoglobin, fibrinogen, and albumin were decreased ( p  < 0.01). Logistic regression identified PEP, albumin, interleukin-6, and TAR as independent risk factors for severe trauma ( p  < 0.05). PEP and interleukin-6 had the highest area under the curve values (> 0.70). Conclusions Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring can detect early signs of insufficient preload in severe pediatric trauma, and the combination of PEP and interleukin-6 aids in severity assessment and clinical decision-making. Clinical trial registration Not applicable.