Asymmetric time-dependent model for the dynamic finger arterial pressure–volume relationship

The volumetric pulses in the finger PPG signal appear as an information source for several indirect measurement methods. In this study we modelled transformation of pressure pulses into volume pulses in a wide transmural pressure range. The noninvasive finger arterial pressure and photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals were simultaneously registered in 13 healthy subjects while the pressure in the PPG cuff ramped up and down. The nonlinearity of the pressure–volume (P–V) relationship was modelled by an asymmetric function, consisting of two arctangents, each for a different pressure region. The time dependency was described by the first order lag. The disturbing effect of slow creeps in the PPG signal was suppressed by an equal filtering of the measured and model-predicted signal. The differences between the two estimates of the subject’s P–V relationship for the increasing and decreasing cuff pressure were small thus showing the repeatability of this method, which can be used for the characterization of individual finger arterial behaviour as well as its changes.