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ABSTRACT: Low frequency variability in the fingertip photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform has been utilized for inferring sympathetic vascular
control, but its relationship with a quantitative measure of vascular tone has not been established. In this study, we examined
the association between fingertip PPG waveform variability (PPGV) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) obtained from thermodilution
cardiac output (CO) and intra-arterial pressure measurements in 48 post cardiac surgery intensive care unit patients. Among
the hemodynamic measurements, both CO (P<0.05) and SVR (P<0.0001) had statistically significant relationships with the normalized low frequency power (LFnu) of PPGV. The LFnu of baseline PPGV had moderate but significant positive correlation with SVR (r=0.54, P<0.0001), and a value below 52.5nu was able to identify SVR<900dynscm−5 with sensitivity of 59% and specificity of 95%. The results have provided quantitative evidence to confirm the link between
fingertip PPGV and sympathetic vascular control. Suppression of LF vasomotor waves leading to dominance of respiration-related
HF fluctuations in the fingertip circulation was a specific (though not sensitive) marker of systemic vasodilatation, which
could be potentially utilized for the assessment of critical care patients.
KeywordsPhotoplethysmography–Power spectrum analysis–Sympathetic nervous system
Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing 04/2012; 49(8):859-866. · 1.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: ObjectiveSlow fluctuations in cardiovascular signals such as heart rate variability (HRV) are believed to carry important clinical
information. This study investigated whether frequency spectrum analysis of the finger photoplethysmographic waveform variability
(PPGV) could characterize a hypovolaemic response by using a blood donation as a model of controlled mild to moderate haemorrhage.
MethodsThis was a prospective, observational study carried out in a convenience sample of blood donors. Spectral analysis was performed
on the finger infrared photoplethysmographic waveform and on the electrocardiogram- derived R–R intervals obtained from 43
healthy volunteers during blood donation. Spectral powers were calculated from low frequency (LF), mid frequency (MF) and
high frequency (HF) bands of the spectrum of HRV and the coherence-weighted cross-spectrum of PPGV. Comparison was made between
the four stages of blood donation: pre-donation (PRE), first half of donation (FIRST), second half of donation (SECOND)
and post-donation (POST).
ResultsA significant increase in the sum of the sympathetic-related MF and respiratory HF powers of finger PPGV (in mean-scaled units)
was observed in SECOND and POST (P < 0.01). The post-donation increase in this PPGV spectral measure occurred in 77% of the subjects, which was higher than
the percentage of subjects experiencing a blood pressure drop (71% or below). Normalized LF power of HRV showed a significant
rise in SECOND (P < 0.01) but not in POST.
ConclusionsSpectral analysis of finger PPGV may provide valuable information in addition to vital sign measurements in characterizing
a hypovolaemic response. Given the limitations of the current blood loss model, further studies are required to assess the
usefulness of finger PPGV for early haemorrhage detection in the clinical setting.
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing 04/2012; 22(5):343-353. · 0.89 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The human body possesses a unique set of organs that are responsible for providing homeostatic balance to the body's fluids. Of these, the kidneys regulate fluid and electrolyte balance in order to maintain the intracellular and extracellular fluid volumes and ion composition within tight limits. When kidneys fail to function normally, fluid is retained and several ions and solutes accumulate. The consequences may be life threatening. Many kidney failure patients rely on haemodialysis (HD) as a life sustaining therapy to remove the waste products and excess fluid from the circulating blood. HD is based on the principle of diffusion of solutes and ultrafiltration of fluid across a semi-permeable membrane. Fluid removal during HD results in relative hypovolaemia during which the stability of a patient relies on compensatory mechanisms to maintain blood pressure (BP). The major compensatory mechanisms include sympathetic nervous system activation of peripheral vasoconstriction together with modest heart rate acceleration to ensure the haemodynamic stability of the patient. Over the years, many monitoring tools have been developed in the hope of predicting intra-dialytic hypotensive episodes. Similarly many methods have been utilized to prevent dialysis-induced complications: ultrafiltration and dialysate sodium profiling, varying ultrafiltration based on frequent BP measurements, etc. This paper provides a comprehensive review of those monitoring and control tools. It starts with a brief introduction to human kidneys and dialysis for non-specialized readers. The paper then reviews the monitoring tools that have been applied to assess the physiological response of patients during HD. This is followed by control techniques used to prevent dialysis-induced complications.
Physiological Measurement 12/2011; 33(1):R1-R31. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Assessment of spontaneous slow waves in the peripheral blood volume using the photoplethysmogram (PPG) has shown potential clinical value, but the physiological correlates of these fluctuations have not been fully elucidated. This study addressed the contribution of arterial pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in beat-to-beat PPG variability in resting humans under spontaneous breathing conditions. Peripheral PPG waveforms were measured from the fingertip, earlobe, and toe in young and healthy individuals (n = 13), together with the arterial pressure waveform, electrocardiogram, respiration, and direct measurement of MSNA by microneurography. Cross-spectral coherence analysis revealed that among the PPG waveforms, low-frequency fluctuations (0.04-0.15 Hz) in the ear PPG had the highest coherence with arterial pressure (0.71 ± 0.15) and MSNA (0.44 ± 0.18, with a peak of 0.71 ± 0.16 at 0.10 ± 0.03 Hz). The normalized midfrequency powers (0.08-0.15 Hz), with an emphasis on the 0.1-Hz region, were positively correlated between MSNA and the ear PPG (r = 0.77, P = 0.002). Finger and toe PPGs had lower coherence with arterial pressure (0.35 ± 0.10 and 0.30 ± 0.11, respectively) and MSNA (0.33 ± 0.10 and 0.26 ± 0.10, respectively) in the LF band but displayed higher coherence between themselves (0.54 ± 0.09) compared with the ear (P < 0.001), which may suggest the dominance of regional vasomotor activities and a common sympathetic influence in the glabrous skin. These findings highlight the differential mechanisms governing PPG waveform fluctuations across different body sites. Spontaneous PPG variability in the ear includes a major contribution from arterial pressure and MSNA, which may provide a rationale for its clinical utility.
AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology 11/2011; 302(3):H826-36. · 3.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Frequency spectrum analysis of circulatory signals has been proposed as a potential method for clinical risk assessment of preterm infants by previous studies. In this study, we examined the relationships between various spectral measures derived from systemic and cerebral cardiovascular variabilities and the clinical risk index for babies (CRIB II). Physiological data collected from 17 early low birth weight infants within 1-3 h after birth were analysed. Spectral and cross-spectral analyses were performed on heart rate variability, blood pressure variability and cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy measures such as oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobins (HbO(2) and HHb) and tissue oxygenation index (TOI). In addition, indices related to cardiac baroreflex sensitivity and cerebral autoregulation were derived from the very low, low- and mid-frequency ranges (VLF, LF and MF). Moderate correlations with CRIB II were identified from mean arterial pressure (MAP) normalized MF power (r = 0.61, P = 0.009), LF MAP-HHb coherence (r = 0.64, P = 0.006), TOI VLF percentage power (r = 0.55, P = 0.023) and LF baroreflex gain (r = -0.61, P = 0.01 after logarithmic transformation), with the latter two parameters also highly correlated with gestational age (r = -0.75, P = 0.0005 and r = 0.70, P = 0.002, respectively). The relationships between CRIB II and various spectral measures of arterial baroreflex and cerebral autoregulation functions have provided further justification for these measures as possible markers of clinical risks and predictors of adverse outcome in preterm infants.
Physiological Measurement 11/2011; 32(12):1913-28. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Biological signals often exhibit self-similar or fractal scaling characteristics which may reflect intrinsic adaptability to their underlying physiological system. This study analysed fractal dynamics of cerebral blood flow in patients supported with ventricular assist devices (VAD) to ascertain if sustained modifications of blood pressure waveform affect cerebral blood flow fractality. Simultaneous recordings of arterial blood pressure and cerebral blood flow velocity using transcranial Doppler were obtained from five cardiogenic shock patients supported by VAD, five matched control patients and five healthy subjects. Computation of a fractal scaling exponent (α) at the low-frequency time scale by detrended fluctuation analysis showed that cerebral blood flow velocity exhibited 1/f fractal scaling in both patient groups (α = 0.95 ± 0.09 and 0.97 ± 0.12, respectively) as well as in the healthy subjects (α = 0.86 ± 0.07). In contrast, fluctuation in blood pressure was similar to non-fractal white noise in both patient groups (α = 0.53 ± 0.11 and 0.52 ± 0.09, respectively) but exhibited 1/f scaling in the healthy subjects (α = 0.87 ± 0.04, P < 0.05 compared with the patient groups). The preservation of fractality in cerebral blood flow of VAD patients suggests that normal cardiac pulsation and central perfusion pressure changes are not the integral sources of cerebral blood flow fractality and that intrinsic vascular properties such as cerebral autoregulation may be involved. However, there is a clear difference in the fractal scaling properties of arterial blood pressure between the cardiogenic shock patients and the healthy subjects.
Physiological Measurement 09/2011; 32(9):1361-72. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The concept of early goal-directed therapy emphasizes the need for early diagnosis and intervention to achieve better therapeutic outcomes in critical care. There has been rapidly growing interest in the use of the photoplethysmogram (PPG), also known as the "pulse oximetry waveform", as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in this clinical setting. The peripheral PPG exhibits beat-to-beat variability driven by physiological mechanisms such as respiration and sympathetic vascular activity. This paper provides an overview of the current progress towards the application of PPG waveform variability (PPGV) in emergency and intensive care. Studies to date have demonstrated the potential value of PPGV for assessing a range of pathophysiological conditions including blood loss, sepsis and low systemic vascular resistance. Translation of research findings into clinical practice poses several future challenges, including the need for large scale validation studies with appropriate measurement systems, more robust solutions to signal quality issues (such as motion artifacts), and better physiological understanding of the information-rich PPGV.
Conference proceedings: ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference 08/2011; 2011:5507-10.
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ABSTRACT: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for cerebral circulation monitoring has gained popularity in the neonatal intensive care setting, with studies showing the possibility of identifying preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) by transfer function analysis of arterial blood pressure (BP) and NIRS measures. In this study, we examined a number of NIRS-derived measures in a cohort of preterm infants with IVH (n = 5) and without IVH (n = 12) within 1-3 hours after birth. The IVH infants were found to have significantly higher tissue oxygenation index (TOI), lower fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) and lower coherence between arterial BP and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) in the very low frequency range (VLF, 0.02-0.04 Hz). Further studies with larger sample size are warranted for a more complete understanding of the clinical utility of these NIRS measures for early identification of IVH infants.
Conference proceedings: ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference 08/2011; 2011:1937-40.
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ABSTRACT: There is a need for robust techniques for early and accurate diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes (ACSs), to avoid inappropriate discharge of patients. This study examined the use of frequency spectrum analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform variability for the identification of high-risk ACS patients defined by an elevated cardiac troponin level. The study cohort comprised a convenience sample of adult patients presenting to the emergency department of the Prince of Wales Hospital over a 4 month period complaining of non-traumatic chest pain. Valid electrocardiogram (ECG) and earlobe PPG waveforms together with troponin I test results were obtained from 52 patients at presentation, 4 of which were troponin I positive (Trop 0+). Frequency spectrum analysis was performed on the beat-to-beat HRV and PPG waveform variability (PPGV). The Trop 0+ were found to have significantly higher normalized mid-frequency power (MF(nu)) in HRV (P = 0.017), PPG amplitude variability (P = 0.009) and the cross-spectrum of HRV and PPGV (P = 0.001), which were attributed to reflex sympathetic response to myocardial ischemia. MF(nu) of PPG amplitude had the best overall performance in detecting Trop 0+, with ROC area under the curve of 0.93. The results demonstrate the potential use of ear PPG waveform to identify high-risk heart disease patients, and further highlight the utility of frequency spectrum analysis of PPGV in critical care.
Physiological Measurement 06/2011; 32(8):1181-92. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) classification is useful for the diagnosis and prognosis of critical pathophysiological conditions, with the ability to identify patients with abnormally high or low SVR of immense clinical value. In this study, a supervised classifier, based on Bayes' rule, is employed to classify a heterogeneous group of intensive care unit patients (N = 48) as being below (SVR < 900 dyn s cm(-5)), within (900 ⩽ SVR ⩽ 1200 dyn s cm(-5)) or above (SVR > 1200 dyn s cm(-5)) the clinically accepted range for normal SVR. Features derived from the finger photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform and other routine cardiovascular measurements (heart rate and mean arterial pressure) were used as inputs to the classifier. In the construction of the classifier model, two techniques were used to approximate the class conditional probability densities--a single Gaussian distribution model (also known as discriminant analysis) and a non-parametric model using the Parzen window kernel density estimation method. An exhaustive feature search was performed to select a feature subset that maximized the performance indicator, Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ). The Gaussian model with multiple features achieved the best overall kappa coefficient (κ = 0.57), although the results from the non-parametric model were comparable (κ = 0.51). The optimum subset in the Gaussian model consisted of PPG waveform variability features, including the low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF) and the normalized mid-frequency power (MF(NU)), in addition to the PPG pulse wave features, such as pulse width, peak-to-notch time, reflection index, and notch time ratio. The classifier performed particularly well in discriminating low SVR, with a sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 86%, positive predictive value of 88% and a negative predictive value of 82%. The results highlight the feasibility of deploying a multivariate statistical approach of SVR classification in the clinical setting, simply using a non-invasive and easy-to-measure PPG waveform signal.
Physiological Measurement 06/2011; 32(8):1117-32. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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Journal of Applied Physiology 06/2011; 111(2):349-50. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The Windkessel properties of the vasculature are known to play a significant role in buffering arterial pulsations, but their potential importance in dampening low-frequency fluctuations in cerebral blood flow has not been clearly examined. In this study, we quantitatively assessed the contribution of arterial Windkessel (peripheral compliance and resistance) in the dynamic cerebral blood flow response to relatively large and acute changes in blood pressure. Middle cerebral artery flow velocity (MCA(V); transcranial Doppler) and arterial blood pressure were recorded from 14 healthy subjects. Low-pass-filtered pressure-flow responses (<0.15 Hz) during transient hypertension (intravenous phenylephrine) and hypotension (intravenous sodium nitroprusside) were fitted to a two-element Windkessel model. The Windkessel model was found to provide a superior goodness of fit to the MCA(V) responses during both hypertension and hypotension (R² = 0.89 ± 0.03 and 0.85 ± 0.05, respectively), with a significant improvement in adjusted coefficients of determination (P < 0.005) compared with the single-resistance model (R² = 0.62 ± 0.06 and 0.61 ± 0.08, respectively). No differences were found between the two interventions in the Windkessel capacitive and resistive gains, suggesting similar vascular properties during pressure rise and fall episodes. The results highlight that low-frequency cerebral hemodynamic responses to transient hypertension and hypotension may include a significant contribution from the mechanical properties of vasculature and, thus, cannot solely be attributed to the active control of vascular tone by cerebral autoregulation. The arterial Windkessel should be regarded as an important element of dynamic cerebral blood flow modulation during large and acute blood pressure perturbation.
Journal of Applied Physiology 02/2011; 110(4):917-25. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Low frequency variability in the fingertip photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform has been utilized for inferring sympathetic vascular control, but its relationship with a quantitative measure of vascular tone has not been established. In this study, we examined the association between fingertip PPG waveform variability (PPGV) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) obtained from thermodilution cardiac output (CO) and intra-arterial pressure measurements in 48 post cardiac surgery intensive care unit patients. Among the hemodynamic measurements, both CO (P < 0.05) and SVR (P < 0.0001) had statistically significant relationships with the normalized low frequency power (LF(nu)) of PPGV. The LF(nu) of baseline PPGV had moderate but significant positive correlation with SVR (r = 0.54, P < 0.0001), and a value below 52.5 nu was able to identify SVR < 900 dyn s cm⁻⁵ with sensitivity of 59% and specificity of 95%. The results have provided quantitative evidence to confirm the link between fingertip PPGV and sympathetic vascular control. Suppression of LF vasomotor waves leading to dominance of respiration-related HF fluctuations in the fingertip circulation was a specific (though not sensitive) marker of systemic vasodilatation, which could be potentially utilized for the assessment of critical care patients.
Medical & Biological Engineering 02/2011; 49(8):859-66. · 1.76 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sepsis is associated with impairment in autonomic regulatory function. This work investigates the application of heart rate and photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform variability analysis in differentiating two categories of sepsis, namely systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and severe sepsis. Electrocardiogram-derived heart period (RRi) and PPG waveforms, measured from fingertips (Fin-PPG) and earlobes (Ear-PPG), of Emergency Department sepsis patients (n = 28) with different disease severity, were analysed by spectral technique, and were compared to control subjects (n = 10) in supine and 80° head-up tilted positions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to adjust for the confounding factor of age. Low-frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz), mid-frequency (MF, 0.09-0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (HF, 0.15-0.60 Hz) powers were computed. The normalised MF power in Ear-PPG (MFnu(Ear)) was significantly reduced in severe sepsis patients with hyperlactataemia (lactate > 2 mmol/l), compared to SIRS patients (P < 0.05). Moreover, in a group of normal controls, MFnu(Ear) was not altered by head-up tilting (P > 0.05), suggesting that there may be a link between 0.1 Hz ear blood flow oscillation and tissue metabolic changes in sepsis, in addition to autonomic factors. The study highlighted the value of PPG spectral analysis in the non-invasive assessment of peripheral vascular regulation in sepsis patients, with potential implications in monitoring the progression of sepsis.
Medical & Biological Engineering 12/2010; 49(3):337-47. · 1.76 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A rabbit model of endotoxaemia was employed to study the regional changes in photoplethysmogram (PPG) waveform and its low frequency fluctuations, and how they are related to the physiological events during the time course of endotoxic shock. Endotoxin (1 mg kg(-1) lipopolysaccharide) was injected into eight anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated rabbits. The 90 min monitoring period was divided into six stages, with the onset of hypotension separating the first three (EDTX1-3) and last three (HYPO1-3) stages. The most significant finding was a substantial but transient elevation in sympathetic-related toe PPG variability (PPGV) spectral power in EDTX3 and HYPO1 (P < 0.01 versus EDTX1). The group average response showed that the rapid rise started 15 min before and peaked at the onset of hypotension, which indicated a surge in sympathetic vasomotor activity that preceded the decompensatory blood pressure fall. Ear skin vasoconstriction was evident by a marked and sustained fall in ear PPG amplitude along with a decrease in ear skin temperature at the onset of hypotension, during which the sympathetic-related ear PPGV spectral power was elevated (P < 0.01, HYPO1 versus EDTX1). The results demonstrate the value of PPGV in characterizing regional vascular control and provide important insights into the physiological mechanisms of endotoxic shock.
Physiological Measurement 11/2010; 31(12):1605-21. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study investigates the peripheral circulatory and autonomic response to volume withdrawal in haemodialysis based on spectral analysis of photoplethysmographic waveform variability (PPGV). Frequency spectrum analysis was performed on the baseline and pulse amplitude variabilities of the finger infrared photoplethysmographic (PPG) waveform and on heart rate variability extracted from the ECG signal collected from 18 kidney failure patients undergoing haemodialysis. Spectral powers were calculated from the low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.145 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.145-0.45 Hz) bands. In eight stable fluid overloaded patients (fluid removal of >2 L) not on alpha blockers, progressive reduction in relative blood volume during haemodialysis resulted in significant increase in LF and HF powers of PPG baseline and amplitude variability (P < 0.01), when expressed in mean-scaled units. The augmentation of LF powers in PPGV during haemodialysis may indicate the recovery and possibly further enhancement of peripheral sympathetic vascular modulation subsequent to volume unloading, whilst the increase in respiratory HF power in PPGV is most likely a sign of preload reduction. Spectral analysis of finger PPGV may provide valuable information on the autonomic vascular response to blood volume reduction in haemodialysis, and can be potentially utilized as a non-invasive tool for assessing peripheral circulatory control during routine dialysis procedure.
Physiological Measurement 09/2010; 31(9):1203-16. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sepsis has been defined as the systemic response to infection in critically ill patients, with severe sepsis and septic shock representing increasingly severe stages of the same disease. Based on the non-invasive cardiovascular spectrum analysis, this paper presents a pilot study on the potential use of the nonlinear support vector machine (SVM) in the classification of the sepsis continuum into severe sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) groups. 28 consecutive eligible patients attending the emergency department with presumptive diagnoses of sepsis syndrome have participated in this study. Through principal component analysis (PCA), the first three principal components were used to construct the SVM feature space. The SVM classifier with a fourth-order polynomial kernel was found to have a better overall performance compared with the other SVM classifiers, showing the following classification results: sensitivity = 94.44%, specificity = 62.50%, positive predictive value = 85.00%, negative predictive value = 83.33% and accuracy = 84.62%. Our classification results suggested that the combinatory use of cardiovascular spectrum analysis and the proposed SVM classification of autonomic neural activity is a potentially useful clinical tool to classify the sepsis continuum into two distinct pathological groups of varying sepsis severity.
Physiological Measurement 06/2010; 31(6):775-93. · 1.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To maintain the hemodynamic stability of patient undergoing hemodialysis, this article proposes a novel model-based control methodology to regulate the changes in relative blood volume (RBV) and percentage change in heart rate (DeltaHR(%)) during hemodialysis by adjusting the ultrafiltration rate (UFR). The control algorithm uses model predictive control (MPC) to account for system variability and to explicitly handle the constraints on UFR. Linear state-space system with time-varying parameters is introduced to model the RBV and DeltaHR. MPC was used to track the change in RBV and DeltaHR to pre-defined reference trajectories. At each sampling instant, the system parameters are updated to get the best fitting into the parameterized model. Simulation results demonstrate that the system is able to regulate RBV and DeltaHR to the reference by adjusting UFR while keeping it within practically realizable bounds. The results show that adjusting UFR may improve the stability of patient during dialysis when compared to conventional hemodialysis with constant UFR.
Medical & Biological Engineering 02/2010; 48(4):389-97. · 1.76 Impact Factor
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Proceedings of the 49th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, CDC 2010, December 15-17, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 01/2010
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ABSTRACT: The use of non-invasively measured pulse transit time (PTT) to monitor the cardiovascular systems in critically ill patients, like sepsis, can be of significant clinical value. In this study, the potential of PTT and its variability in cardiovascular system monitoring in a mechanically ventilated and anesthetized rabbit model of endotoxic shock was assessed. Eight adult New Zealand white rabbits, which were treated with endotoxin bolus infusion, were studied. Measurements of PTT, pre-ejection period (PEP), and vascular transit time (VTT) were obtained in pre- and post-intervention stages (before and 90 minutes after the administration of endotoxin). The decrease in mean PTT (p < 0.05) and PEP (p < 0.01) in the post-intervention stage reflected sympathetic activation, whilst the increase in respiratory variation in PTT (p < 0.01), PEP (p 〈 0.01), and VTT (p < 0.01) could be attributed to an enhancement of respiratory variation in stroke volume associated with hypovolemia in endotoxic shock. The relationship between beat-to-beat variability in PTT and all other cardiovascular time series were further investigated through linear regression analysis, which revealed that PTT was most strongly correlated with VTT (R(2) ≥ 0.84 with positive slope). Computation of coherence and phase shift in the ventilating frequency band (HF: 0.50 - 0.75 Hz) showed that the respiratory variation in PTT was synchronized with both PEP and VTT (coherence > 0.84 with phase shift less than one cardiac beat). These results highlighted the potential value of PTT and its respiratory variation in characterizing the pathophysioloigcal hemodynamic change in endotoxic shock.
Conference proceedings: ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference 01/2010; 2010:2849-52.