Abstract: Vascular endothelial function in terms of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of peripheral arteries can be assessed reliably by measuring beat-to-beat pulse-wave conduction time (PCT) simultaneously for two symmetric segments of arteries locating on the right and left sides of body. When reactive hyperemia is induced in the peripheral tissues on one side, the time dependent changes in PCT caused by FMD on that side can be detected as the beat-to-beat differences in PCT between two sides (?PCT). ?PCT would provide a sensitive and specific assessment of the FMD response, because the influences of the systemic changes in hemodynamic and neurohumoral factors common to both sides are subtracted out. In addition, measurement of PCT requires no skillful technique and is advantageous in that the apparatus is inexpensive.

Abstract: A pressure-pulse-wave detecting probe for detecting a pressure pulse wave generated by an artery of a living subject, including: (a) a sensor portion which has at least one pressure detecting element and a press surface that is to be positioned manually by an operator, relative to the artery of the subject, and is to be pressed manually by the operator, against the artery of the subject via a body surface of the subject, such that the pressure pulse wave is detected by the above-described at least one pressure detecting element which is arranged on the press surface; and (b) an indicator which is provided to be integral with the sensor portion, and provides an indication as to whether a value of pressure detected by each of the above-described at least one pressure detecting element is suitable for detecting of the pressure pulse wave or not.

Abstract: A pulse wave analyzing apparatus including a cuff 12 for detecting a pulse wave from a living subject, a pressure sensor 16 for converting the pulse wave detected by the cuff 12, into an electric signal, i.e., a pulse wave signal SM, a plurality of band-pass filters 62 (BPF(1), BPF(2), . . . , BPF(n)) that have respective low-side cuff-off frequency bands differing from each other and each receive the pulse wave signal SM, a provisional rising point determining device 64 for determining respective times PS of respective provisional rising points of respective pulse waves represented by respective secondary pulse wave signals SM2 that have passed through the band-pass filters 62, and a proper rising point determining device 66 for comparing the respective times PS of respective provisional rising points with each other and thereby determining a time AS of a proper rising point based on the respective times PS of respective provisional rising points.

Abstract: An inflatable cuff for blood pressure measurement includes a first inflatable bag to press an arterial vessel of a body portion of a living subject for stopping blood flow; a second inflatable bag for sensing a pulse wave propagating along the arterial vessel, which is supported by the inflatable cuff such that the second inflatable bag is located inside a downstream-side portion of the first inflatable bag in the direction of the blood flows; a shielding member disposed between the first inflatable bag and the second inflatable bag so as to prevent an oscillation of the first inflatable bag from propagating to the second inflatable bag; and a slidable separating member disposed between the shielding member and the second inflatable bag so as to prevent generation of a noise caused by a slide contact of the shielding member with the second inflatable bag.

Abstract: The measurement results judging means 80 judges whether or not the measurement of vital signal. In the case where it has been judged that all of the measurements of the vital signal used for the measurement of such plurality of vital-information are normal, since the above-described plurality of vital-information are automatically output from the printer 58, the troublesome works of the printing operation can be omitted, and in the case where it has been judged that the measurement of the vital signals used for the determination of at least one of the vital-information is not normal, the above-described vital-information is not output from the printer 58, therefore, unnecessary vital-information can be prevented from being output from the printer 58.

Abstract: An arteriosclerosis inspecting apparatus including an information obtaining device which obtains information that is related to a velocity at which a pulse wave propagates in a living subject, a blood-pressure measuring device which measures a blood pressure of the subject, a heart-rate measuring device which measures a heart rate of the subject, a pre-ejection-period measuring device which measures a pre-ejection period from a time of starting of contraction of the heart of the subject to a time of starting of ejection of blood from the heart, an ejection-time measuring device which measures an ejection time from the time of starting of ejection of blood from the heart to a time of ending of ejection of blood from the heart, and an arteriosclerosis-inspection-related-augmentation-index determining means for determining an arteriosclerosis-inspection-related augmentation index of the subject, based on the obtained pulse-wave-velocity-related information, the measured blood pressure, the measured heart rate, t

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a heart sound of a living subject, including a pressure-pulse-wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on a body portion of the subject that is distant from a chest of the subject, detects a pressure pulse wave produced by an artery of the body portion, and generates a pressure-pulse-wave signal representing the detected pressure pulse wave; and a heart-sound extracting device for extracting, from the pressure-pulse-wave signal generated by the pressure-pulse-wave sensor, a heart-sound component representing the heart sound of the subject.

Abstract: An arteriosclerosis evaluating apparatus for evaluating an arteriosclerosis of a living subject based on a form of a pulse wave detected from the subject, the apparatus including an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on a body portion of the subject, a cuff-pressure changing device which changes a pressure in the cuff, a cuff-pulse-wave detecting device which detects a cuff pulse wave as a pressure oscillation that is transmitted from the subject to the cuff, and an output device which outputs the cuff pulse wave detected by the cuff-pulse-wave detecting device in a state in which the pressure of the cuff is made higher than a systolic blood pressure of the body portion of the subject by the cuff-pressure changing device.

Abstract: An inflatable cuff for blood pressure measurement includes a first inflatable bag which is inflatable to press an arterial vessel of a body portion of a living subject and stop flow of blood in the arterial vessel which the inflatable cuff is adapted to be wound around the body portion; a second inflatable bag for sensing a pulse wave propagating along the arterial vessel, which is supported by the inflatable cuff such that the second inflatable bag is located inside a downstream-side portion of the first inflatable bag in the direction of the blood flows in the arterial vessel, and which has a dimension as measured in the direction that is smaller than a dimension of the first inflatable bag as measured in said direction; and a fluid-filled bag which is located between the second inflatable bag and the body portion and which is filled with incompressible fluid.

Abstract: An arteriostenosis diagnosing apparatus which measures an ankle blood pressure at an ankle 12 of a patient and a brachium blood pressure at a brachium 14, so that the measured ankle and brachium blood pressure values are used to calculate an ankle and brachium blood pressure index ABI, and additionally measures a first pulse wave propagation velocity PWV1 with respect to the ankle 12 as a first measuring point and the brachium 14 as a second measuring point, and a second pulse wave propagation velocity PWV2 with respect to the patient's heart and the brachium 14.

Abstract: An apparatus for evaluating arteriosclerosis of a living subject, including a blood-pressure measuring device which measures at least one blood-pressure value of the subject, a pulse-wave detecting device which detects a pulse wave from a portion of the subject, a relationship determining device for determining a relationship between pulse-wave magnitude and blood pressure, based on at least one magnitude of the pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device and said at least one blood-pressure value measured by the blood-pressure measuring device, an incident-wave-peak determining device for determining a magnitude of a peak point of an incident-wave component which is contained in the pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device, a reflected-wave-occurrence-time determining device for determining a time of occurrence of a peak point of a reflected-wave component which is contained in the pulse wave, a pressure-difference determining device for determining, according to the relationship bet

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a characteristic point of a pulse wave detected from a living subject, the apparatus including a pulse-wave detecting device which detects a first pulse wave from a prescribed portion of the subject, a pulse-wave modifying device for modifying a waveform of the first pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device, according to a predetermined relationship between first pulse wave, and second pulse wave whose characteristic point is clear, and a characteristic-point determining device for determining a characteristic point of the modified waveform of the first pulse wave.

Abstract: An ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus for measuring a blood pressure of an ankle of a living subject, including an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on the ankle of the subject; a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle; a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion; an increasing-point detecting device for detecting at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and an ankle-blood-pressure determining device which determines a pressure of the cuff when the increasing-point detecting device detects the second increasing point, as a systolic bloo

Abstract: A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, wherein the blood pressure is judged to be abnormal when a first change value as a change of each of a plurality of blood pressure values iteratively obtained from the subject, from a standard blood pressure obtained from the subject, does not fall in a first reference range (TH1), wherein the improvement comprises: the first reference range being determined based on the standard blood pressure of the subject, according to a relationship between first reference range and standard blood pressure wherein a plurality of different first reference ranges correspond to a plurality of different standard blood pressures, respectively.

Abstract: A blood pressure measuring apparatus having an inflatable cuff including a first inflatable bag adapted to be worn on a body portion of a living subject so as to exclude blood from an artery located in the body portion, and a second inflatable bag adapted to be worn on the body portion, on a distal side of a middle portion of the first inflatable bag, so as to detect a pulse wave produced from the artery, a first piping which is connected to the first inflatable bag, a second piping which is branched from the first piping and is connected to the second inflatable bag, a pump which supplies an inflating fluid to the first and second inflatable bags via the first and second pipings, respectively, a blood pressure determining device which determines a blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave detected through the second inflatable bag when a pressing pressure of the first inflatable bag is changed, and a switching device which is provided in the second piping and which selectively switches the second

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a heart sound of a living subject, including a pressure-pulse-wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on a body portion of the subject that is distant from a chest of the subject, detects a pressure pulse wave produced by an artery of the body portion, and generates a pressure-pulse-wave signal representing the detected pressure pulse wave; and a heart-sound extracting device for extracting, from the pressure-pulse-wave signal generated by the pressure-pulse-wave sensor, a heart-sound component representing the heart sound of the subject.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a standard pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related value for a living subject, comprising: a blood-pressure measuring device for measuring a blood pressure of the subject; an age determining device for determining an age of the subject; and a standard-pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-value determining device for determining the standard pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related value for the subject, based on the blood pressure of the subject measured by the blood-pressure measuring device and the age of the subject determined by the age determining device, according to a predetermined relationship between (A) (a1) blood pressure and (a2) age and (B) standard pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related value.

Abstract: A blood-pressure estimating apparatus, including a pulse-wave detecting device which detects a pulse wave from a portion of a living subject, a blood-pressure measuring device which includes an inflatable cuff adapted to be worn on the portion of the subject and measures, with the cuff, a diastolic blood pressure and a systolic blood pressure of the portion of the subject, and a mean-blood-pressure estimating device which converts, based on a minimum magnitude and a maximum magnitude of the pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device and the diastolic and systolic blood pressure measured by the blood-pressure measuring device, a magnitude of a gravity center of an area defined by the pulse wave into an estimated mean blood pressure of the portion of the subject.

Abstract: A pressure pulse wave sensor for being worn on a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject, the sensor including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a pressure pulse wave from the subject, and a flexible sheet to which the piezoelectric sheets are fixed such that the piezoelectric sheets are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof.

Abstract: An inflatable cuff for blood pressure measurement includes a first inflatable bag to press an arterial vessel of a body portion of a living subject for stopping blood flow; a second inflatable bag for sensing a pulse wave propagating along the arterial vessel, which is supported by the inflatable cuff such that the second inflatable bag is located inside a downstream-side portion of the first inflatable bag in the direction of the blood flows; a shielding member disposed between the first inflatable bag and the second inflatable bag so as to prevent an oscillation of the first inflatable bag from propagating to the second inflatable bag; and a slidable separating member disposed between the shielding member and the second inflatable bag so as to prevent generation of a noise caused by a slide contact of the shielding member with the second inflatable bag.