A study on blood viscosity estimation using pulse wave signal

Increased blood viscosity is closely associated with the risk of cardiovascular and lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes. Conventional methods of measuring blood viscosity are not suitable for home use. In the present study, we suggested a new estimation method of blood viscosity using photoplethysmography. As an indicator of blood viscosity, we focused on the damping coefficient of a physical model that simulates the movement of a blood vessel. We calculated the damping coefficients from the blood pressure waveforms of a goat with reducing hemoglobin concentrations in the blood. The results suggested that the damping coefficient was correlated with the hemoglobin concentration, which in turn is correlated with the blood viscosity. Thus, the proposed method could possibility be used to measure blood viscosity. © 2014, Japan Soc. of Med. Electronics and Biol. Engineering. All rights reserved.