Method for estimation of the pulse wave propagation velocity by a manual pneumatic arterial pressure sensor

The paper discusses a new method for diagnosing atherosclerosis using a pneumatic arterial blood pressure sensor previously developed by the authors hereof. The possibility of applying a pneumatic sensor to measure the pulse wave transit time referring to a synchronous ECG is treated herein. The specification of the method consisting in the selection of the characteristic moment of the pulse wave as the timestamp, when measuring the signal transit time in relation to the R-peak of the synchronous ECG, is justified hereby. The averaged values of the wave transit time at different points of the artery, taking into account the variability of the front delay values, are used to directly determine the pulse wave propagation velocity in the area between the measurement points.