Abstract: A method and apparatus is proposed to estimate the aortic pulse transit time (PTT) from only time intervals measured between fiducial points of the longitudinal ballistocardiogram (BCG) without the need to apply any sensor to the area where the arrival of the arterial pulse waveform is to be detected. From the longitudinal BCG of a subject, which can be obtained by means of sensors integrated in a single element with which the subject's body comes into contact, two fiducial points of the BCG waveform are detected in which one of the points is associated with the arrival of the arterial pulse wave to a zone proximal to the heart and the other is associated with the arrival of said arterial pulse wave to a distal zone, respectively. From the time interval between the two points, an estimate of the aortic (carotid-femoral) PTT is provided either directly or through a process of previous calibration.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to detect systolic mechanical events from the ballistocardiogram (BCG) is proposed. First, a transfer function able to compensate for the mechanical response of the body of a subject is applied to a BCG of the same subject, in such a way that the overall transfer function is flat within the range of frequencies of interest. Thus, the resulting signal corresponds only to the mechanical events occurred at the heart and the aortic root, and the systolic mechanical events can be reliably detected from fiducial points on said resulting signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for estimating the arterial pulse transit time (PTT) in different arterial sections from measurements carried out using sensors disposed only in distal zones of the two upper extremities or the two lower extremities. Firstly, the arrival of the pulse wave at a zone of the extremities next to the torso is detected in the impedance plethysmograph (IPG) measured between the two upper extremities or between the two lower extremities, which reflects changes in zones closest to the zone where the measuring electrodes are disposed. Secondly, another time reference is obtained from a pulse signal measured in a distal zone using traditional methods. When the first pulse signal is the IPG between the two upper extremities, the second pulse signal can be the IPG between the two lower extremities. The PTT is estimated from the time interval measured between the respective arrival instants of the pulse wave in the first and in the second signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is proposed to estimate the aortic pulse transit time (PTT) from only time intervals measured between fiducial points of the longitudinal balistocardiogram (BCG) without the need to apply any sensor to the area where the arrival of the arterial pulse waveform is to be detected. From the longitudinal BCG of a subject, which can be obtained by means of sensors integrated in a single element with which the subject's body comes into contact, two fiducial points of the BCG waveform are detected in which one of the points is associated with the arrival of the arterial pulse wave to a zone proximal to the heart and the other is associated with the arrival of said arterial pulse wave to a distal zone, respectively. From the time interval between the two points, an estimate of the aortic (carotid-femoral) PTT is provided either directly or through a process of previous calibration.

Abstract: An apparatus for obtaining information on a cardiovascular system based exclusively on measurements between two limbs and effected with a pair of distal electrodes on each limb. The measurement is made by causing an alternating current to flow between one electrode of each limb and measuring the potential difference between the other two electrodes, one also on each limb. This potential difference has a low frequency component which is an electrocardiogram (ECG) and another component having a frequency of the injected alternating current and from which an impedance plethysmogram (IPG) is extracted. The cardiovascular information is determined by measuring the time interval between any predefined characteristic element of the ECG and IPG.

Abstract: An apparatus for obtaining information on a cardiovascular system based exclusively on measurements between two limbs and effected with a pair of distal electrodes on each limb. The measurement is made by causing an alternating current to flow between one electrode of each limb and measuring the potential difference between the other two electrodes, one also on each limb. This potential difference has a low frequency component which is an electrocardiogram (ECG) and another component having a frequency of the injected alternating current and from which an impedance plethysmogram (IPG) is extracted. The cardiovascular information is determined by measuring the time interval between any predefined characteristic element of the ECG and IPG.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for obtaining information on a cardiovascular system beat by beat and continuously which are based exclusively on measurements between two limbs and effected with a pair of distal electrodes on each limb. The measurement is made by causing an alternating current to flow between one electrode of each limb and measuring the potential difference between the other two electrodes, one also on each limb. This potential difference has a low frequency component which is an electrocardiogram (ECG) and another component having a frequency of the injected alternating current and from which an impedance plethysmogram (IPG) is extracted. The cardiovascular information is determined by measuring the time interval between any predefined characteristic element of the ECG and one of the IPG.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for obtaining information on a cardiovascular system beat by beat and continuously which are based exclusively on measurements between two limbs and effected with a pair of distal electrodes on each limb. The measurement is made by causing an alternating current to flow between one electrode of each limb and measuring the potential difference between the other two electrodes, one also on each limb. This potential difference has a low frequency component which is an electrocardiogram (ECG) and another component having the-a frequency of the injected alternating current and from which an impedance plethysmogram (IPG) is extracted. The cardiovascular information is determined by measuring the time interval between any predefined characteristic element of the ECG and one of the IPG.