Non-invasive monitoring of pulmonary artery pressure from timing information by EIT: experimental evaluation during induced hypoxia

Physiol Meas. 2016 Jun;37(6):713-26. doi: 10.1088/0967-3334/37/6/713. Epub 2016 May 23.

Abstract

Monitoring of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in pulmonary hypertensive patients is currently limited to invasive solutions. We investigate a novel non-invasive approach for continuous monitoring of PAP, based on electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a safe, low-cost and non-invasive imaging technology. EIT recordings were performed in three healthy subjects undergoing hypoxia-induced PAP variations. The pulmonary pulse arrival time (PAT), a timing parameter physiologically linked to the PAP, was automatically calculated from the EIT signals. Values were compared to systolic PAP values from Doppler echocardiography, and yielded strong correlation scores ([Formula: see text]) for all three subjects. Results suggest the feasibility of non-invasive, unsupervised monitoring of PAP.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Altitude
  • Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular*
  • Electric Impedance
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia / diagnostic imaging
  • Hypoxia / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Pattern Recognition, Automated / methods
  • Pulmonary Artery / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pulmonary Artery / physiology*
  • Pulmonary Artery / physiopathology
  • Pulse
  • Supine Position
  • Tomography / methods*