Objective. To investigate if modern Seismocardiography (SCG) and Ballistocardiography (BCG) are useful 3 in the detection of hemodynamic changes occurring during simulated obstructive apneic events.Methods. Forty-seven healthy volunteers performed a voluntary maximum Mueller maneuver (MM) for 10 5 seconds, and SCG and BCG signals were simultaneously taken. The kinetic energy (KE) of a set of cardiac 6 cycle before and during the apneic episode was automatically computed from the rotational (Rot) and linear 7 (Lin) channels of the SCG and BCG waveforms and its temporal integral (iK) was derived (unit of measure: 8 microJoules.second (µJ.s)). Estimated transmural pressure (ePTM) was assessed as the difference between 9 systemic blood pressure and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). The Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used to 10 evaluate differences in energy measurements between normal respiration and the loaded inspiration maneuver.
11Cardiac kinetic energies and the MIP produced during the MM were compared by linear regression analysis 12 following log transformation in order to assess the correlation between variables. 13 Results. The Rot BCG during normal breathing increased from 1.1[0.8; 1.4] to 1.9[1.4; 4.3] µJ.s during MM 14 (p<0.001). Meanwhile, Rot SCG increased from 54 [31; 92] to 84 [44; 153] µJ.s, (p<0.001). The iK Rot BCG 15 and Rot SCG of a set of cardiac cycles during the MM was negatively associated with the MIP (r: -0.59, p<0.001 16 and r: -0.53, p=0.001 for Rot BCG and Rot SCG , respectively). When ePTM was considered, this association became 17 positive (r: +0.58, p<0.001 and r: +0.60, p<0.001, for Rot BCG and Rot SCG , respectively). When the iKLIN was 18 considered as the comparative factor, correlations with MIP and ePTM were weak and non significant. Men has 19 higher values of iK than women. 20 Conclusion. Simulated obstructive apnea elicits large rotational iK swings, which are related to the intensity 21 of the inspiratory effort and, as such, to the intensity of the left ventricular afterload. Computation of cardiac 22 kinetic energy through BCG and SCG may shed further light on the impact of obstructive respiratory events 23 on the cardiovascular system.