Methods and apparatus for determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure

1. A method for determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure for a subject, comprising:

measuring a proximal waveform indicative of an arterial pulse at a proximal site of the subject using a first sensor;

measuring a distal waveform indicative of the arterial pulse at a distal site of the subject using a second sensor;

defining a relationship between the proximal waveform and the distal waveform in terms of unknown parameters of a nonlinear model, where the nonlinear model accounts for wave propagation and reflection and accounts for arterial compliance that depends on blood pressure, and where the unknown parameters define a function relating pulse transit time and blood pressure;

determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model from the measured proximal waveform and the measured distal waveform; and

determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure using the parameters of the nonlinear model, where the steps of determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model and determining pulse transit time are implemented by a computer processor of a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the proximal waveform and the distal waveform is indicative of blood pressure.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the nonlinear model is further defined as a frictionless tube with blood pressure-dependent arterial compliance and a terminal load, where the tube represents a wave travel path between the proximal site and the distal site.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the terminal load of the model is characterized by average tube characteristic impedance and peripheral resistance and compliance.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the blood pressure-dependent arterial compliance is defined as

C

0

⁢

h

l

⁢

exp

⁡

(

-

α

⁢

⁢

P

)

where l is length of the tube, h is segmental length, C 0 is arterial compliance at zero blood pressure, α specifies degree of nonlinearity and P is blood pressure.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprises determining pulse transit time for the subject as a function of blood pressure in accordance with

PTT =√{square root over ( L 0 C 0 exp(−α P ))}

where L 0 is arterial inertance, C 0 is arterial compliance at zero blood pressure, α specifies degree of nonlinearity, and P is blood pressure.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the unknown parameters further comprises estimating the unknown parameters by predicting one of the proximal or distal waveforms from the other waveform via a least squares search over a physiologic parameter range.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein predicting one of the proximal or distal waveforms from the other waveform further comprises using a finite difference method.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprises

measuring a proximal blood volume waveform indicative of blood volume at the proximal site of the subject;

measuring a distal blood volume waveform indicative of blood volume at the distal site of the subject;

determining pulse transit time at a single blood pressure from the measured proximal and distal blood volume waveforms; and

determining blood pressure from the determined pulse transit time using the function relating pulse transit time to blood pressure.

10. A method for determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure for a subject, comprising:

measuring a proximal waveform indicative of blood pressure at a proximal site of the subject using a first sensor;

measuring a distal waveform indicative of blood pressure at a distal site of the subject using a second sensor;

defining a relationship between the proximal waveform and the distal waveform in terms of unknown parameters of a nonlinear tube-load model, wherein the nonlinear tube-load model accounts for wave propagation and arterial compliance that depends on blood pressure;

determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model from the measured proximal waveform and the measured distal waveform; and

determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure from the determined parameters of the nonlinear tube-load model, where the steps of determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model and determining pulse transit time are implemented by a computer processor of a computing device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprises measuring a proximal waveform from a carotid artery and measuring a distal waveform from a femoral artery.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the nonlinear tube-load model includes a terminal load and the terminal load is characterized by peripheral resistance, compliance and average tube characteristic impedance.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein tube is frictionless and the blood pressure-dependent arterial compliance is defined as

C

0

⁢

h

l

⁢

exp

⁡

(

-

α

⁢

⁢

P

)

where l is length of the tube, h is segmental length, C 0 is arterial compliance at zero blood pressure, α specifies degree of nonlinearity and P is blood pressure.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the unknown parameters further comprises estimating the unknown parameters by predicting one of the proximal or distal waveforms from the other waveform via a least squares search over a physiologic parameter range.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein predicting one of the proximal or distal waveforms from the other waveform further comprises using a finite difference method.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprises determining pulse transit time for the subject as a function of blood pressure in accordance with

PTT =√{square root over ( L 0 C 0 exp(−α P ))}

where L 0 is arterial inertance, C 0 is arterial compliance at zero blood pressure, α specifies degree of nonlinearity, and P is blood pressure.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprises

measuring a proximal blood volume waveform indicative of blood volume at the proximal site of the subject;

measuring a distal blood volume waveform indicative of blood volume at the distal site of the subject;

determining pulse transit time at a single blood pressure from the measured proximal and distal blood volume waveforms; and

determining blood pressure from the determined pulse transit time using the function relating pulse transit time to blood pressure.

18. A method for determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure for a subject, comprising:

measuring a proximal waveform indicative of an arterial pulse at a proximal site of the subject using a first sensor;

measuring a distal waveform indicative of the arterial pulse at a distal site of the subject using a second sensor;

defining a relationship between the proximal waveform and the distal waveform in terms of unknown parameters of a nonlinear model, wherein the nonlinear model accounts for wave propagation and arterial compliance that depends on blood pressure;

determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model by fitting the measured proximal waveform to the measured distal waveform; and

determining pulse transit time as a function of blood pressure from the parameters of the nonlinear model, where the steps of determining the unknown parameters of the nonlinear model and determining pulse transit time are implemented by a computer processor of a computing device.