P9.02 EVALUATION OF PULSE WAVE VELOCITY AND AUGMENTATION INDEX IN SUPINE AND SITTING POSITION

Abstract

Background: Despite the introduction of arterial stiffness measurements in the recommendation of the European Societies for Hypertension and Cardiology, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (Aix) are still not used routinely in clinical practice. Possibly, current techniques, although non-invasive, validated, and easy to use, are still impractical and not favoured by patients. This includes the ability to perform such measurements in the sitting position as is done for blood pressure. New devices allow measurements in the sitting position. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of posture on PWV and Aix, and to assess whether arterial stiffness measurements can be reliably measured in the supine position. Methods: Arterial stiffness parameters were measured in 15 healthy volunteers and 15 patients with cardiovascular disease using three different devices: Arteriograph® (Arteriomed) and Vascular Explorer® (Enverdis) determining PWV and Aix from oscillometrically recorded pulse waves from the brachial artery; and SphygmoCor® (Atcor Medical). Three measurements were performed in supine position followed by three measurements in the sitting position. Results: Arterial stiffness parameters did not differ between supine and sitting position. The table shows the results of the measurements (mean±SD). PWV m/s Supine Position Sitting Position p-value Arteriograph 7.6±1.6 7.7±1.8 0.29 Vascular Explorer 8.2±0.9 8.5±1.5 0.37 SphygmoCor 7.3±1.5 Aix % Supine Position Sitting Position p-value Arteriograph 18.4±16.0 19.2±16.4 0.35 Vascular Explorer 5.6±13.1 8.1±13.0 0.14 SphygmoCor 6.0±9.4 6.2±8.3 0.32 Conclusions: The close agreement between sitting and supine measurements suggests that both PWV and Aix can be reliably measured in the sitting position.