Preliminary Study of an Objective Evaluation Method for Pulse Diagnosis using Radial Artery Pulse Measurement Device

Abstract

In traditional Chinese pulse diagnosis, the pulses of bilateral radial arteries are palpated by three fingers. In this study, a device that can objectively perform pulse diagnosis using multiple pressure sensors with a cuff was developed. The device has three pressure sensors in series and a cuff to apply external pressure load. Pulse waves were measured using the non-invasive pulse diagnostic device. The relationship of the data obtained from the proposed system with the diagnosis by the traditional method was examined. The study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee in Tohoku University. Twelve adult male subjects were studied. Data of pulse waveforms recorded from the pulse diagnosis device, electrocardiogram, and continuous blood pressure measured at the fingertip were stored and analyzed. The pulse waves of the subjects were cate-gorized as middle pulse, floating pulse, or sunken pulse according to pulse diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine. Pulse–waveform data were obtained to measure the pulse–pressure changes, which showed different patterns of the rise time at the three measurement sites. Envelope analysis of the pulse waveform from the middle sensor revealed that the peak value of the pulse pressure increased during calculation stress compared to the resting state. It was possible to measure the pulse waves even when a higher external pressure was applied. Objective pulse-wave measurement using a method similar to that in traditional pulse diagnosis was realized, and pulse waveforms were measured using the proposed pulse diagnosis system.