Validation of a Piezoelectric Sensor Array-Based Device for Measurement of Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity: The Philips Prototype

Abstract

Background: Multiple piezoelectric pressure mechanotransducers topologized into an array might improve efficiency and accuracy in collecting arterial pressure waveforms for measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV).

Objective: In the present study, we validated a piezoelectric sensor array-based prototype (Philips) against the validated and clinically widely used Complior device (Alam Medical).

Methods: We recruited 33 subjects with a wide distribution of PWV. For the validation, PWV was measured sequentially with the Complior device (four times) and the Philips prototype (three times). With the 99 paired PWV values, we investigated the agreement between the Philips prototype and the Complior device using Pearson correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plot. We also performed analysis on the determinants and reproducibility of PWV measured with both devices.

Results: The correlation coefficient for PWV measured with the two devices was 0.92 (p < 0.0001). Compared with the Complior device, the Philips prototype slightly overestimated PWV by 0.24 (± 2 standard deviations, ± 1.91) m/s, especially when PWV was high. The correlation coefficient between the difference and the average of the Philips and Complior measurements was 0.21 (p = 0.035). Nonetheless, they had similar determinants. Age, mean arterial pressure, and sex altogether explained 81.6 and 83.9% of the variance of PWV values measured with the Philips prototype and Complior device, respectively. When the two extremes of the three PWV values measured with the Philips prototype and the Complior device were investigated, the coefficients of variation were 8.26 and 3.26%, respectively.

Conclusions: Compared with the Complior device, the Philips prototype had similar accuracy, determinants, and reproducibility in measuring PWV.

Keywords: Arterial stiffness; Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; Piezoelectric sensor array.

Figures

Fig. 1

Correlation between pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured with the Philips prototype and the Complior device. The regression line is shown. The regression equation is given with correlation coefficient and p value.

Fig. 2

Bland-Altman analysis of the difference between pulse wave velocity (PWV) values obtained by the two devices against the average of the two PWV values. The lines of the mean difference and the mean ± 2 standard deviations (SD) are shown.

Fig. 3

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured with the Philips prototype (open circles) and the Complior device (full squares) in relation to age (left panel) and mean arterial pressure (right panel). Regression lines are shown separately for the Philips prototype (dashed line) and the Complior device (full line). The regression equation is also given with the p value of the regression coefficient for the two devices separately.