Increased Arterial Stiffness in Catheterization Patient by Photoplethysmography Analysis

Atherosclerosis is a condition indicated by loss of arterial elasticity because of thickening of the arterial wall due to plaques that cause cardiovascular disease. Increased arterial stiffness is one sign of atherosclerosis, so measurement of arterial stiffness can be used as an early detection of cardiovascular disease. One method of measuring arterial stiffness is by analyzing the second derivative of a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal taken from a non-invasive fingertip. PPG signals are obtained from infra red signal transmission to detect changes in blood volume in microvascular vessels. By calculating the delay between direct waves and reflection waves from PPG signals and also from taking the subject's height can be obtained arterial stiffness index. PPG data collection was carried out on 30 subjects, with 10 subjects normal and 10 subjects were cardiac catheterization patients and 10 subjects were athlete. The stiffness index value for cardiac catheterization patients increased compared to athlete and normal subjects. Increased arterial stiffness is one sign of atherosclerosis, so measurement of arterial stiffness can be used as an early detection of cardiovascular disease.