Noninvasive estimation of systolic and diastolic arterial compliance

An analog circuit model has been developed to compute systolic and diastolic compliances of the arterial system in the human using a single noninvasive displacement transducer located at the superficial carotid artery. The LICO model (Local Impedance, Compliance and Output model) is driven by a step input of pressure equal in amplitude to the pulse pressure. The timing of the resulting flow is determined from the carotid pulse contour. A study of records from one hundred and two cardiac surgery patients shows that the LICO model compliance correlates well with a common measure of compliance; the ratio of the stroke volume to the pulse pressure, /spl Delta/V//spl Delta/P (systolic compliance r=0.821, p >