Wu Hsien-Tsai, Lin Bo-Yi, Yang Cheng-Chan, Ou Yu-Nian, Sun Cheuk-Kwan
IEEE J Biomed Health Inform. 2017 Mar;21(2):382-386. doi: 10.1109/JBHI.2016.2515938. Epub 2016 Jan 7.
Although the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) index is considered the most reliable indicator of vascular endothelial function, previous studies have proved that the dilatation index (DI) measured by the highly reproducible air pressure sensing system (APSS) is just as accurate in effectively determining endothelial function. Besides, not only is APSS cheaper than the instrument for FMD ratio measurement, but operation of the former is also simple to facilitate its domestic use. However, APSS had the pitfall of being time consuming because of the large amount of computation involved. This paper attempted to validate a new self-developed endothelial function screening (EFS) device that utilized the photoplethysmography (PPG) system for acquiring PPG waveform signals from the index finger through an infrared sensor and a pressure cuff for applying pressure on ipsilateral upper arm for eliciting reactive hyperemic response to assess vascular health. The mean peak amplitude of the signals during the hyperemic phase was divided by that of the baseline to produce an EFS ratio. About 52 volunteers of age 34.76 ± 15.23 years without history of cardiovascular diseases were recruited for vascular endothelial function evaluation using the EFS device and the APSS. Bland-Altman analysis showed good consistency between the EFS ratio and DI. Besides, linear regression analysis demonstrated highly significant correlation between the two sets of data (p < 0.001, r = 0.6261) In conclusion, this paper, which attempted to validate a self-developed, economical, and time-efficient device that can be operated in a domestic setting, demonstrated that the EFS device yielded consistent results on vascular endothelial function comparable to those acquired through APSS.
尽管血流介导的血管舒张（FMD）指数被认为是血管内皮功能最可靠的指标，但先前的研究已证明，通过高度可重复的气压传感系统（APSS）测量的血管舒张指数（DI）在有效测定内皮功能方面同样准确。此外，APSS不仅比用于测量FMD比值的仪器便宜，而且其操作也很简单，便于在国内使用。然而，由于涉及大量计算，APSS存在耗时的缺点。本文试图验证一种新的自行开发的内皮功能筛查（EFS）设备，该设备利用光电容积脉搏波描记法（PPG）系统，通过红外传感器从食指获取PPG波形信号，并使用压力袖带对同侧上臂施加压力以引发反应性充血反应，从而评估血管健康状况。充血期信号的平均峰值幅度除以基线期的平均峰值幅度，得出EFS比值。招募了约52名年龄在34.76±15.23岁、无心血管疾病史的志愿者，使用EFS设备和APSS评估血管内皮功能。布兰德-奥特曼分析表明EFS比值与DI之间具有良好的一致性。此外，线性回归分析表明两组数据之间存在高度显著的相关性（p<0.001，r=0.6261）。总之，本文试图验证一种可在家庭环境中操作的自行开发、经济且省时的设备，结果表明EFS设备在血管内皮功能方面产生的结果与通过APSS获得的结果一致。
