Pulse transit time values and predictive models in children aged 5-12 years

Increased arterial stiffening can be an indication of cardiovascular disease. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has shown to be a direct measure of this property. However, the assessment of the elastic properties of arteries is hampered by the absence of techniques to estimate arterial pulse pressure non-invasively. Pulse transit time (PTT) is a simple and non-invasive method derived from PWV that has shown potential in cardiovascular and respiratory studies. Limited knowledge on PTT is found in the present literature, especially for children. The aim of this study was to describe prediction equations for healthy children aged 5 to 12 years. 61 children (41 male and 20 female) were studied. Predictive equations for PTT were obtained by multiple regressions with age, vascular path length, blood pressure indexes and heart rate. The derived equations were compared in their PWV equivalent against 2 previously reported equations. Significant agreement was obtained with these 2 equations (p<0.05). The use of PTT measurement in a clinical environment is still to realise its full potential for children. The data and prediction equations here supplement the existing limited data in childhood PTT investigation.