State of the Art Review: Brachial-Ankle PWV

Abstract

The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (brachial-ankle PWV), which is measured simply by wrapping pressure cuffs around the four extremities, is a simple marker to assess the stiffness of the medium- to large- sized arteries. The accuracy and reproducibility of its measurement have been confirmed to be acceptable. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially advanced age and high blood pressure, are reported to be associated with an increase of the arterial stiffness. Furthermore, arterial stiffness might be involved in a vicious cycle with the development/progression of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Increase in the arterial stiffness is thought to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease via pathophysiological abnormalities induced in the heart, brain, kidney, and also the arteries themselves. A recent independent participant data meta-analysis conducted in Japan demonstrated that the brachial-ankle PWV is a useful marker to predict future cardiovascular events in Japanese subjects without a previous history of cardiovascular disease, independent of the conventional model for the risk assessment. The cutoff point may be 16.0 m/s in individuals with a low risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and 18.0 m/s in individuals with a high risk of CVD and subjects with hypertension. In addition, the method of measurement of the brachial-ankle PWV can also be used to calculate the inter-arm systolic blood pressure difference and ankle-brachial pressure index, which are also useful markers for cardiovascular risk assessment.

Association between insulin resistant surrogate index and arterial stiffness in hypertensive population: a five year follow-up cohort study

“…The measurement was performed twice by two trained technicians, and the average value of the left and right sides was calculated as the nal result. The incidence of arterial stiffness was con rmed with a BaPWV >1800 cm/s [22] .…”

Triglyceride Glucose Index Associated With Arterial Stiffness in Chinese Community-Dwelling Elderly

“…Subjects treated with fibrates were also excluded due to its influence on the triglycerides ( n = 7). We also excluded subjects with bilateral ankle-brachial index (ABI) < 0.9 ( n = 57) that diminished the reliability of baPWV measurement ( 7 ). Ultimately, a total of 2,035 participants were included in the analyses.…”

Cardiovascular Outcomes in the Acute Phase of COVID-19

“…As mentioned above, these may cause functional cardiovascular abnormalities, such as an increase of the cardiac afterload, impairment of the coronary arterial blood supply, and/or microvascular damage. Furthermore, endothelial dysfunction may also cause hypercoagulability, and increased arterial stiffness may also cause endothelial dysfunction via increasing the tensile and shear stress on the vascular endothelium [ 60 , 61 , 62 ]. These abnormalities could contribute to the development of heart failure, arrhythmias, coronary ischemia, acute coronary syndrome and stroke.…”