THE DETERMINATION OF THE PROPAGATION VELOCITY OF THE ARTERIAL PULSE WAVE

Abstract

Contrary to the classical formulae of Moens and of Korteweg, the velocity of the foot of a pressure wave, whether natural or artificial, could not be strictly related to the volume-pressure relations of the elastic tube. Both rubber tube and aorta showed a viscous resistance to stretch at high speeds of tension change, which effectively speeded the wave foot. Because of a sluggish return to initial level at high rates of tension release, the "tail" of the wave was retarded. The peak of the wave, and the period of the standing wave, can be predicted from the Moens formula as applied to calculated volume-pressure relations from stretch figures obtained with slow rates of tension change. Because the parts of the wave have different propagation velocities, the wave form is changed in transit.