JP2005329122A - Pulse wave propagation speed measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly accurately measure a pulse wave propagation speed while the convenience of the measurement is retained, in a pulse wave propagation speed measuring device to measure the pulse wave propagation speed in an organism. <P>SOLUTION: The device is equipped with an upper arm cuff 113 and a knee cuff 114 and picks up the pulse waves of the cuffs, and obtains the pulse wave propagation speed from the heart 21 to the knee by dividing a distance between the heart and the knee from total time by total time obtained by adding the pulse wave propagation time from the heart to the brachium to a period of time from the reaching of the pulse wave to the brachium to the reaching of the pulse waves to the knee. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pulse wave velocity measuring apparatus that measures a pulse wave velocity in a living body.

  Conventionally, a pulse wave velocity (PWV) is used as one index of arteriosclerosis. This PWV refers to the propagation speed of the blood vessel wall pressure when the heart pumps blood into the artery, and this PWV is used as an index of arteriosclerosis utilizing the fact that the hardened blood vessel propagates faster (Patent Literature). 1 and 2).

  In order to measure the pulse wave propagation velocity (PWV), a pulse wave propagation time between two points along the artery is measured, and the pulse wave propagation time is divided by the length of the artery between the two points. Is used. Therefore, in order to measure PWV, it is necessary to accurately measure the pulse wave propagation time.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional method of measuring the pulse wave propagation velocity PWV, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various waveforms during PWV measurement.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper arm cuff 21 and the ankle cuff 22 are wound around the upper arm and the ankle, respectively. Further, the distance L between the heart and the ankle is measured with a tape measure. Furthermore, the upper arm cuff 21 and the ankle cuff 22 respectively pick up the pulse waves of the upper arm and the ankle, and at the same time, the heart sound is picked up by the heart sound microphone. Here, an electrocardiogram is also measured.

  The pulse wave propagation time T between the heart and the ankle is obtained from the heart sound waveform and pulse waveform obtained by picking up these heart sounds and pulse waves. By dividing the distance L by the pulse wave propagation time T, the pulse wave propagation velocity PWV is obtained. There are a case where the pulse wave velocity PWV itself is adopted as an index of arteriosclerosis and a case where an index of arteriosclerosis is calculated using the pulse wave velocity PWV as a variable for further calculation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pulse wave propagation time T from the heart to the ankle is a time t′b from the time when the heart aortic valve is opened to the time when the pulse wave reaches the upper arm, and the pulse wave reaches the upper arm. This is the time obtained by adding the time tba from the time point to the time point when the pulse wave reaches the ankle.

  FIG. 2A shows the timing of the opening / closing operation of the aortic valve, and FIGS. 2B to 2E show various waveforms based on the heart motion including the opening / closing operation of the aortic valve. 2B to 2E are waveforms of an electrocardiogram, a phonocardiogram, a brachial artery wave, and a crus artery wave, respectively.

  The brachial artery wave of FIG. 2 (D) and the crus artery wave of FIG. 2 (E) were respectively obtained by picking up pressure changes in the cuff 21 for an arm and the cuff 22 for an ankle shown in FIG. Each pulse wave of the upper arm and ankle.

As shown in FIG. 2 (E), the pulse wave propagation time T from the heart to the ankle is the time from the timing of opening the aortic valve to the rise of the leg artery wave. This pulse wave propagation time T is theoretically 2 is a time t′b from the timing of opening the aortic valve to the rising timing of the brachial artery wave in FIG. 2D, and the lower leg of FIG. 2D from the rising timing of the brachial artery wave in FIG. It is obtained by adding the time tba until the fall timing of the arterial wave. The heart sound that is emitted before and after the opening of the aortic valve is called the I sound. This I sound contains not only the opening sound of the aortic valve but also other sounds. Knowing the timing is not simply possible. Therefore, here, the time tb from the timing of occurrence of the closing sound of the aortic valve to the notch that appears in the brachial artery wave due to the closing of the aortic valve is measured (see Patent Document 2). Since this time tb is the same as the time t′b from the opening of the aortic valve to the rise of the brachial artery wave,
T = tb + tba
Thus, the pulse wave propagation time T from the heart to the ankle is obtained.

  The pulse wave propagation time T from the heart to the ankle is obtained by the above measuring method, the distance L between the heart and the ankle is measured with a tape measure, and the distance L is determined by the pulse wave propagation time T as shown in the following formula (1). Is divided to obtain the pulse wave velocity PWV from the heart to the ankle.

PWV = L / T (1)
Japanese Patent No. 3140007 JP 2003-290160 A

  However, if an index of arteriosclerosis based on the pulse wave velocity PWV from the heart to the ankle is adopted, a peripheral artery is included between the heart and the ankle, so that a vascular reflex reaction occurs due to the influence of autonomic nerves, etc. As a result, the pulse wave propagation time varies greatly, and accurate measurement may not be possible.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a pulse wave velocity measuring apparatus capable of measuring a pulse wave velocity with high accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of measurement.

The pulse wave velocity measuring device of the present invention that achieves the above-mentioned object,
A first pulse wave sensor for detecting a pulse wave of the knee region;
A second pulse wave sensor for detecting a pulse wave of a predetermined second part other than the knee part;
A heart sound sensor for detecting heart sounds;
A calculation unit for obtaining a pulse wave propagation velocity between the heart and the knee based on the heart sound detected by the heart sound sensor and the pulse waves detected by the first and second pulse wave sensors; It is characterized by that.

  Here, in the pulse wave velocity measuring device of the present invention, the knee pulse cuff may be provided, and the first pulse wave sensor may be a sensor for detecting a pressure change of the knee cuff. In the pulse wave velocity measuring device, an upper arm cuff may be provided, and the second pulse wave sensor may be a sensor that detects a pressure change of the upper arm cuff.

  Conventionally, the pulse wave propagation speed between the knee and the ankle was thought to be fast, but according to the measurement by the present inventors, compared to the pulse wave propagation speed between the aortic valve opening and the crotch, The pulse wave velocity between the knee and the ankle is very fast, while the pulse wave velocity between the knee and the ankle may be slow, close to the pulse wave velocity in the aorta, and sometimes faster due to a response by stimulation. There was found.

  In addition, it is difficult to mount a pulse wave probe for measuring a pulse wave at the crotch, and a simple measurement cannot be performed, and shame also acts to prevent clinical spread.

  In contrast, the knee is a part where the artery is close to the surface of the body, the cuff can be easily attached without shame, and simple measurement can be performed. The ratio of the aorta portion to the total length is higher than that between the two, and it has the advantage that it is less susceptible to the influence of muscular blood vessels.

  Therefore, by measuring the pulse wave propagation speed between the heart and the knee, the pulse wave propagation speed can be obtained with high accuracy and simplicity.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to measure the pulse wave propagation velocity with high accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of measurement.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a living body measuring apparatus including an embodiment of the pulse wave velocity measuring apparatus of the present invention.

  The biological measurement apparatus 10 includes a heart sound microphone 111, an upper arm cuff 113, a knee cuff 114, and two electrocardiographic sensors 115 and 116.

  The heart sound microphone 111 is attached in the vicinity of the heart to pick up the sound (heart sound) of the heart 21 of the subject 20. The upper arm cuff 113 is wound around the left upper arm, and the knee cuff 114 is wound around the left knee. These upper arm cuff 113 and knee cuff 114 pick up pulse waves of the left upper arm and the left knee, respectively. Further, the two electrocardiographic sensors 115 and 116 pick up the electrocardiographic waveforms of the right wrist and the left wrist, respectively.

  The biological measurement apparatus 10 further includes an analog processing unit 12, an A / D conversion unit 13, and a digital processing unit 14.

  The electrocardiogram waveforms picked up by the two electrocardiographic sensors 115 and 116 are input to the electrocardiographic amplifier 121 and amplified, converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 13, and transmitted to the digital processing unit 14.

  The heart sound picked up by the heart sound microphone 111 is input to the heart sound amplifier 122 and amplified, further converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 13 and transmitted to the digital processing unit 14.

  Air is sent to the upper arm cuff 113 and the knee cuff 114 by the air pumps 131 and 132 so as to obtain respective predetermined cuff pressures, and the pressure sensors 133 and 134 change the cuff pressure slightly. Captures the pulse waves of the left upper arm and left knee. The pulse waves picked up by the pressure sensors 133 and 134 are amplified by the amplifiers 135 and 136, input to the A / D converter 13, and converted into digital signals.

  The digital processing unit 14 includes a CPU 141, a memory 142, a display device 143, a recording device 144, an operation device 145, and a pump control device 146, and between them and the A / D conversion unit 13. The buses 147 are connected to each other.

  Various programs are executed in the CPU 141, whereby the CPU 141 is responsible for controlling each part of the biological measurement apparatus 10. The memory 142 plays a role of storing various programs executed by the CPU 141 and various data transmitted from the A / D converter 13. The display device 143 displays various waveforms and data such as an electrocardiogram and a pulse wave on the display screen, and the recording device 144 prints out the various waveforms and data. Further, the operation device 145 is for inputting various instructions to the biometric device 10 by an operator's operation. Further, the pump control device 146 is for controlling the operations of the two pumps 131 and 132.

  Here, in the CPU 141, the pulse wave propagation from the heart 21 (aortic valve opening) to the knee is based on various signals that are converted into digital signals by the A / D conversion unit 13 and transmitted as described above. A speed PWV is determined. The method for obtaining the pulse wave velocity PWV from the heart 21 (aortic valve opening) to the knee is “ankle” in the explanation of the method for obtaining the pulse wave velocity from the heart to the ankle described with reference to FIG. The “crus arterial wave” in FIG. 2 (E) may be read as “knee” and “pulse wave measured by knee”, respectively, and the method of determination itself is the same, and redundant description is omitted here.

  Here, a cold pressurization test was performed, and changes in the pulse wave propagation speed PWV were observed before the cold pressurization stimulation (before the blood pressure change) and after the cold pressurization stimulation (after the blood pressure change). Hereinafter, symbols used in the description will be described, and then the results of the cold pressurization test will be described.

  FIG. 4 is an explanation of symbols used for each part of the human body and the like used here.

  Here, the upper arm, heart, inseam, knee, and ankle are represented by B, H, F, K, and A, respectively. The distance between the heart H and the inseam F, the distance between the inseam F and the knee K, and the distance between the knee K and the ankle A are represented by L1, L2, and L3, respectively. The pulse wave propagation time from the crotch F to the knee K, the pulse wave propagation time from the crotch F to the knee K, and the pulse wave propagation time from the knee K to the ankle A are represented by T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Furthermore, the pulse wave propagation speed from the heart H to the crotch F, the pulse wave propagation speed from the crotch F to the knee K, and the pulse wave propagation speed from the knee K to the ankle A are respectively represented by hfPWV, fkPWV, and kaPWV. It expresses by. Furthermore, the pulse wave propagation velocity from the heart H to the knee K and the pulse wave propagation velocity from the heart H to the ankle A are represented by hkPWV and haPWV, respectively.

  Table 1 shows the results of the cold pressurization test for one subject (59 years old, male).

  From Table 1, it can be seen that T3 is significantly changed before and after the cold boost stimulation, and as a result, hfPWV and fkPWV are stable before and after the cold boost stimulation, and thus hkPWV is stable. In contrast, it can be seen that haPWV is greatly changed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pulse wave propagation time ratio from the heart H to the ankle A (FIG. 5A) and a pulse wave propagation time ratio from the heart H to the knee K (FIG. 5B).

The pulse wave propagation time T from the heart H to the ankle A is as shown in FIG.
T = T1 + T2 + T3
It is represented by

  Here, when the total time T is 100% and each time T1, T2, T3 constituting the total time T is expressed as a percentage with respect to the total time T, T3 greatly changes before and after the cold boost stimulation. As shown in FIG. 5A, the ratio of T1, T2, and T3 changes greatly before and after the stimulation.

On the other hand, the pulse wave propagation time T from the heart H to the knee K is as shown in FIG.
T = T1 + T2
When the total time T is 100% and T1 and T2 are expressed as%, the ratio of T1 and T2 hardly changes before and after the cold pressurization stimulation as shown in FIG.

  The analysis result shown in FIG. 5 also shows that the pulse wave velocity from the heart H to the knee K is stable.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing measurement results of pulse wave propagation speed between the heart H and the knee K for a plurality of subjects, and FIG. 7 is a diagram from the heart H to the ankle A for the same subjects. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the pulse wave propagation velocity between.

  6 and 7, the horizontal axis represents control (pulse wave propagation speed before cold pressurization stimulation), and the horizontal axis represents reaction (pulse wave propagation speed after cold pressurization stimulation). The diagonal broken line is a straight line connecting the points where the control and the post-reaction match.

  Comparing FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, also from these figures, the pulse wave propagation velocity between the heart H and the knee F (FIG. 6) is higher than the pulse wave propagation velocity between the heart H and the ankle A. From FIG. 7, it can be seen that it is more stable before and after the cold pressor stimulation (change in blood pressure).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper arm cuff 113 and the knee cuff 114 are provided, and the pulse waves of the upper arm and the knee are measured, but instead of the upper arm cuff 113, the wrist cuff is provided, and the wrist and the knee are measured. The pulse wave may be detected. In this case as well, the measurement method described with reference to FIG. 2 can be adopted as it is by replacing FIG. 2D with the wrist arterial wave.

  Here, a cuff is used to detect a pulse wave, but another type of pulse wave sensor may be used as the pulse wave sensor.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional measuring method of the pulse wave velocity PWV. It is the figure which showed the various waveforms at the time of PWV measurement. It is a block block diagram which shows the biological measurement apparatus containing one Embodiment of the pulse-wave propagation velocity measuring apparatus of this invention. It is description of symbols, such as each part of a human body. It is a figure which shows the pulse wave propagation time ratio from the heart to the ankle, and the pulse wave propagation time ratio from the heart to the knee. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the pulse-wave propagation velocity between the heart with respect to several subjects. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the pulse wave velocity between the heart and an ankle with respect to a some subject.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Biological measuring device 12 Analog processing part 13 A / D conversion part 14 Digital processing part 20 Test subject 21 Heart 111 Heart sound microphone 113 Upper arm cuff 114 Knee cuff 115,116 Electrocardiographic sensor 121 ECG amplifier 122 Heart sound amplifier 131, 132 Air pump 133, 134 Pressure sensor 135, 136 Amplifier 141 CPU
142 Memory 143 Display device 144 Recording device 145 Operation device 146 Pump control device 147 Bus

Claims (3)

A first pulse wave sensor for detecting a pulse wave of the knee region;
A second pulse wave sensor for detecting a pulse wave of a predetermined second part other than the knee part;
A heart sound sensor for detecting heart sounds;
A calculation unit that obtains a pulse wave velocity between the heart and the knee region based on the heart sound detected by the heart sound sensor and the pulse waves detected by the first and second pulse wave sensors; A pulse wave velocity measuring device characterized by the above.   The pulse wave velocity measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a knee cuff, wherein the first pulse wave sensor is a sensor that detects a pressure change of the knee cuff.   The pulse wave propagation velocity measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising an upper arm cuff, wherein the second pulse wave sensor is a sensor for detecting a pressure change of the upper arm cuff.

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