Myocardial ischemia diagnosis by pulse wave derived form factor analysis

Pulse wave analysis with computerized diagnosis was used for myocardial ischemia patients. Novel feature derived from form factor of pulse signal was investigated. Form factor is estimated from variance of pulse signal waveform. Pulse waves were measured using newly developed three-axis sphygmography. Three groups participated in this study: 16 patients diagnosed with myocardial ischemia (positive), 19 healthy subjects (control) and 28 subjects exhibiting myocardial ischemia-like symptoms (negative). Form factor distribution and pulse wave variations of the three groups were calculated. Six form factor values derived from both hands’ acupoints on Cun, Guan, and Chi were calculated. Data showed that there were significant statistical differences between myocardial ischemia patients and healthy subjects with respect to form factor, especially for Cun and Guan points (p<0.01). The negative group showed similar results to the myocardial ischemia patients. This study showed that form factor will be potential feature for pulse signal. It can be applied for the early screen of myocardial ischemia candidates by form factor features.