[Postural changes in finger and toe pulse waves].

Finger and toe pulse waves were simultaneously recorded in medical students and outpatient hypertensive patients. The delay of the rise of toe pulse to that of finger pulse (t) was almost halved in students on postural change from the supine position to the sitting position. This was mainly due to an increase in the pulse wave velocity in the aorta, which was thought to be induced by the increase in hydrostatic pressure in the aorta. In students a marked dicrotic wave was observed in both finger and toe pulse waves. That the interval between the main and dicrotic waves (T) was shorter for finger pulse than toe pulse also seems to be ascribable to the influence of the intraaortic pressure: Pulse was transmitted faster in the systolic phase than in the diastolic phase. The features of pulse waves of hypertensive patients were that (t) was short even in the supine position, and that dicrotic wave was small or absent especially for toe pulse. These differences were considered to be accounted for by the high blood pressure and the structural change of arterial wall in the hypertensive patients.