Abstract: Calibrated method characterizing blood flow in a patient's limb during reactive hyperemia episode utilizes a blood pressure cuff, establishes a predetermined, near diastolic, pressure in the cuff during the episode, continually senses the pressure cuff and periodically changes the internal volume of the cuff by a predetermined volumetric amount to calibrate the system with a calibration pressure pulse. The method may determine the condition of blood vessels and endothelium by determining, for each calibration cycle, a blood volume peak and comparing the peak with peak volume values for healthy blood vessels and endothelium (potentially waveform analysis). The method, implemented as a system, inflates, during pre-test, the cuff to a suprasystolic pressure, and establishes the near diastolic pressure in the cuff during the episode. A sensor generates a pressure signal and a subsystem periodically changes the volume during calibration such that a corrected and calibrated blood volume signal is calculated.

Abstract: The calibrated method for characterizing blood flow in a limb of a patient during reactive hyperemia utilizes a blood pressure cuff. The method establishes a predetermined, near diastolic, pressure in said blood pressure cuff during the reactive hyperemic episode, continually senses the pressure in the cuff and periodically changes the internal volume of said blood pressure cuff by a predetermined volumetric amount to calibrate the system. The resultant change in the pressure is a calibration pressure pulse and is used to calculates pulsatile blood volume through the blood vessel. A calibrated method for determining the condition of blood vessels and endothelium includes determining, for each calibration cycle, a respective peak value for the blood volume and comparing the peak blood volume values with peak blood volume values for healthy blood vessels and endothelium. The comparison preferably utilizes a waveform.

Abstract: The integrated peripheral vascular diagnostic system electronically links a pulse volume recorder PVR, an ocular pneumoplethysmograph OPG, a photoplethysmograph PPG, an audio-frequency analyzer AA unit which characterizes blood flow with a sensitive microphone, and a doppler ultrasound unit. This diagnostic equipment generates data signals. These data signals are converted into digital data signals and are stored in a database. The diagnostic system includes a computer with a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a printer and an interface for connecting these electronic components together along with an interface for the PVR, OPG, PPG, AA and doppler ultrasound. The diagnostic system further includes a report generator which generates, displays and prints a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports from the digital instrument data signals and the keypad entry data.

Abstract: The integrated peripheral vascular diagnostic system electronically links a pulse volume recorder PVR, an ocular pneumoplethysmograph OPG, a photoplethysmograph PPG, an audio-frequency analyzer AA unit which characterizes blood flow with a sensitive microphone, and a doppler ultrasound unit. This diagnostic equipment generates data signals. These data signals are converted into digital data signals and are stored in a database. The diagnostic system includes a computer with a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a printer and an interface for connecting these electronic components together along with an interface for the PVR, OPG, PPG, AA and doppler ultrasound. The diagnostic system further includes a report generator which generates, displays and prints a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports from the digital instrument data signals and the keypad entry data.

Abstract: The method of calibrating includes selecting discrete levels of cuff pressure and placing the artery under study at those discrete levels of induced pressure with a closed pneumatic cuff system, substantially continually sensing cuff pressures at each discrete level and thereby sensing blood volume change through the artery, electronically determining when a certain number of representative blood volume change signals are substantially equivalent, changing the volume in the closed pneumatic system at each discrete cuff pressure by a predetermined volumetric amount after determining substantial equivalency, and, correcting the blood volume change signal based upon the signals detected during the volume change of the closed pneumatic cuff system.

Abstract: The method of calibrating the volume plethysmograph designed to detect atherosclerosis includes selecting discrete levels of cuff pressure and placing the artery under study at those discrete levels of induced pressure with a closed pneumatic cuff system, substantially continually sensing cuff pressures at each discrete level and thereby sensing blood volume change through the artery, electronically determining when a certain number of representative blood volume change signals are substantially equivalent, changing the volume in the closed pneumatic system at each discrete cuff pressure by a predetermined volumetric amount after determining substantial equivalency, electronically generating a calibration signal or factor at each discrete cuff pressure based upon changed blood volume change signal and, correcting the blood volume change representative signal based upon the calibration signal or factor at each discrete level of pressure.

Abstract: The method of calibrating includes selecting discrete levels of cuff pressure and placing the artery or vein under study under discrete levels of induced pressure with a closed pneumatic system contained by the pressure cuff, substantially continually sensing cuff pressures at each discrete level and thereby sensing blood volume change through the artery, electronically determining when a certain number of representative time-based blood volume change signals are substantially equivalent, changing the volume in the closed pneumatic system at each discrete cuff pressure by a pre-determined volumetric amount after determining substantial equivalency, electronically generating a calibration signal at each discrete cuff pressure based upon the calibrated volume change and, correcting the blood volume representative signal based upon the calibration signal at each discrete level of pressure.

Abstract: The method of calibrating includes selecting discrete levels of cuff pressure and placing the artery or vein under study under discrete levels of induced pressure with a closed pneumatic system contained by the pressure cuff, substantially continually sensing cuff pressures at each discrete level and thereby sensing blood volume change through the artery, electronically determining when a certain number of representative time-based blood volume change signals are substantially equivalent, changing the volume in the closed pneumatic system at each discrete cuff pressure by a pre-determined volumetric amount after determining substantial equivalency, electronically generating a calibration signal at each discrete cuff pressure based upon the calibrated volume change and, correcting the blood volume representative signal based upon the calibration signal at each discrete level of pressure.