Artery Research

Volume 12, Issue C, December 2015, Pages 5 - 6

P1.13 CHANGES IN PULSE WAVE VELOCITY ALONE CANNOT PREDICT THE PULSE PRESSURE INCREASE WITH AGE

Authors
Berend Westerhof*1, 2, Thomas Weber3, Siegfried Wassertheurer4, Bernhard Hametner4, Nico Westerhof5
1Edwards Lifesciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3Klinikum Wels-Grieskirchen, Wels, Austria
4Austrian Institute of Technology, Vienna, Austria
5VUmc Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Available Online 23 November 2015.
DOI
10.1016/j.artres.2015.10.205How to use a DOI?
Abstract

Recently Weber et al. invasively obtained aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) as a function of age. [1] Systolic and diastolic aortic pressure were determined as well. PWV can be used to derive total arterial compliance, Ctot, as Ctot=k/PWV2. With Ctot and Stroke Volume (SV), aortic Pulse Pressure (PP) can be approximated from Ctot=SV/PP.

However, the PWV-derived value for Ctot predicted a larger PP increase with age than measured. [1] PWV increased from 5.6 to 12m/s between <40 and >80 years of age thus aortic compliance (Cao) decreased by a factor (12/5.6)2=4.6.[1] Setting Ctot equal to Cao, PP would increase by the same factor, while measured PP increased from 50 to 90 mmHg. SV decreasing with age may play a role but certainly not a factor 2.

We hypothesize that Ctot is not equal to Cao as calculated form PWV: compliance of the conduit arteries, Cca, also contribute. This can be seen as follows. In the young Ctot=0.6, Cao=0.35 and Cca=0.25 (cgs units). At high age Cao reduces to 0.6/4.6=0.076 and Cca to 0.25/1.2=0.20, thus Ctot=0.28; about halved. PP then approximately doubles, in agreement with the pressure data.

In aging Ctot decreases considerably less than Cao since the relatively smaller changes in Cca play a role as well. Changes in aortic PWV alone cannot predict the PP increase as a function of age.

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Journal
Artery Research
Volume-Issue
12 - C
Pages
5 - 6
Publication Date
2015/11/23
ISSN (Online)
1876-4401
ISSN (Print)
1872-9312
DOI
10.1016/j.artres.2015.10.205How to use a DOI?
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Berend Westerhof*
AU  - Thomas Weber
AU  - Siegfried Wassertheurer
AU  - Bernhard Hametner
AU  - Nico Westerhof
PY  - 2015
DA  - 2015/11/23
TI  - P1.13 CHANGES IN PULSE WAVE VELOCITY ALONE CANNOT PREDICT THE PULSE PRESSURE INCREASE WITH AGE
JO  - Artery Research
SP  - 5
EP  - 6
VL  - 12
IS  - C
SN  - 1876-4401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2015.10.205
DO  - 10.1016/j.artres.2015.10.205
ID  - Westerhof*2015
ER  -