R-pulse wave timing in cardiovascular monitoring: further observations

Pulse wave arrival times measured from the peak of the R-wave of the electrocardiogram to the onset of a peripheral pulse wave were recorded with a miniature pressure transducer in a group of 72 hypertensive pregnant women, of whom 19 were receiving sympatholytic antihypertensive medication and 53 w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inObstetrics and gynecology (New York. 1953) Vol. 79; no. 4; p. 597
Main Authors Hon, E H, Fukushima, T
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.04.1992
Subjects
Adult
Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use
Electrocardiography
Female
Humans
Hypertension - diagnosis
Hypertension - drug therapy
Myocardial Contraction - physiology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular - diagnosis
Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular - drug therapy
Pulse - physiology
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Summary:Pulse wave arrival times measured from the peak of the R-wave of the electrocardiogram to the onset of a peripheral pulse wave were recorded with a miniature pressure transducer in a group of 72 hypertensive pregnant women, of whom 19 were receiving sympatholytic antihypertensive medication and 53 were not. The mean (+/- SD) pulse wave arrival time of the hypertensive pregnant group was 204 +/- 15 milliseconds, which was significantly shorter than that measured in a group of 49 uncomplicated normotensive pregnant subjects (222 +/- 16 milliseconds) (P less than .001). The mean pulse wave arrival times were shortest in the subset of pregnant hypertensive patients not on sympatholytic medication (201 +/- 13 milliseconds) as compared with patients on such medication (212 +/- 18 milliseconds) (P less than .01). These observations suggest that patients with pregnancy hypertension have much shorter pulse wave arrival times than normotensive pregnant women. Further studies are needed to determine the potential usefulness of this cardiovascular index for evaluation of hypertensive states during pregnancy.
ISSN:0029-7844