Analysing cardiovascular signals to assess vascular age
Adapted from Charlton et al. (CC BY 4.0)
Accompanying Resources
The resources used in this workshop are available here.
Workshop Synopsis
This interactive workshop will provide an introduction to the analysis of cardiovascular signals for vascular ageing assessment, including:
- a brief overview of the underlying theory;
- hands-on experience of analysing cardiovascular signals in Python; and
- opportunity to critically appraise analysis techniques.
The lesson will focus on selected signals (such as blood pressure, photoplethysmogram and electrocardiogram signals) and parameters which can be derived from them (such as pulse wave velocity, the augmentation index, and pulse arrival time). The principles of pulse wave propagation will be introduced, including the relationship between arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity, and the origins of wave reflections. Participants will be encouraged to investigate how the design of the analysis influences performance (such as comparing pulse transit time to pulse arrival time), allowing them to appreciate the limitations and shortcomings of techniques, and critically appraise their potential clinical utility. The workshop is intended to be accessible to all, including those with no prior experience of programming or signal processing.
