Pulse Wave Characteristics Based on Age and Body Mass Index (BMI) During Sitting Posture

Measurement technologies of arterial parameters are mostly based on processing blood pulse wave which is an important representation of cardiac activity. The pulse wave is structured with forward and reflected waves which are affected by individual physiological parameters such as the blood intensity, the elasticity of the aorta, artery elasticity and the reflection location. The pulse wave is also an important parameter in invasive cuff-less blood pressure measurement methods. However, different physiological circumstances can lead to pulse waveforms with different characteristics including the curve factors, amplitude and time landmarks. In this study, the pulse wave signal is obtained by bio-impedance (BImp) via shoulder and photoplethysmography (PPG) from the left ear. Four age groups, as well as three (body mass index) BMI groups, are considered as physiological circumstances and the effect of them on five characteristics factors of the pulse wave, are compared. Overall, the results displayed a significant effect of the aging and BMI on the pulse wave’s characteristics.