Photoplethysmography technology and pOpmètre®
pOpmètre® is a non-invasive, class IIa medical device designed to measure pulse wave velocity (PWV) and calculate central pressures to help practitioners assess cardiovascular risk. The pOpmètre® measures the ankle brachial index required to detect arteriopathy of the lower limbs (PAOD). Measurement data is acquired via two photopletysmographic sensors connected by cables to the pOpmètre®.
PPG technology
PPG technology is a non-invasive, optical method for measuring blood volume variations in blood vessels, mainly used for heart rate monitoring in wearable devices.
First explored in the 1930s, PPG is a method for measuring the amount of light absorbed or reflected by blood vessels in living tissue.
Photoelectric technology
In other words, the PPG detects the change in blood volume using photoelectric technology, whether transmissive or reflective, to record the volume of blood in the sensor's coverage area to form a PPG signal. Indeed, the sensor coverage area includes both veins and arteries, and numerous capillaries. As a result, the PPG signal contains information about both the blood flow in the veins and in the arteries.
Clinical practice and PPG
In clinical practice, PPG is commonly used to monitor cardiac-induced blood volume changes in microvascular beds at peripheral body sites, such as the finger, forehead, earlobe and toe. Since the maximum pulsatile component of reflected light is approximately between 510 and 590 nm, green (565 nm) or yellow (590 nm) light is generally used for reflective PPG sensors. However, red (680 nm) or near-infrared (810 nm) light is generally used for transmissive PPG devices, as infrared light has the deepest penetration.
pOpmètre® and PPG
Accurate prediction of cardiovascular (CV) risk has been one of the ultimate tasks of contemporary preventive cardiovascular medicine.
Currently, the clinician's arsenal contains valuable tools for risk prediction, such as the Framingham Risk Score, Systemic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) and other scoring systems, which are based on established risk factors. However, even with these scoring systems, risk prediction is often a difficult goal to achieve, as considerable differences between predicted and actual event rates can occur. Thus, current research is targeting new clinically relevant biomarkers that can improve our ability to predict CV risk when added to existing risk scoring systems. A biomarker merits clinical integration only if the following criteria are met:
- it must differ between subjects with and without outcomes
- it must predict future outcomes in prospective studies
- it must add predictive information in addition to established risk markers
- it must sufficiently reclassify patients' predicted risk
- its use must improve outcomes when evaluated in a randomized trial
- it must be cost-effective.
Soon, thanks to the pOpmeter®, the entire medical profession will be able to easily measure pulse wave velocity, an essential biomarker of cardiovascular health.
Our answers to frequently asked questions
Clinical case
Ischemic stroke, no hypertension, diabetes or cholesterol. Investigated after rigorous medical evaluation, including one-week ECG Holter and endoesophageal PWV of 20 m/s (equivalent to vascular age of 100 years).
Treatments
ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, aspirin and sports nutrition > antioxidants, coriander and pears, including garlic.
Results
Three years later, PWV is 12 m/s
2023-08-02
The pOpmètre® enables an absolutely painless examination, which is therefore easily accepted by patients. It is a technical procedure that can be integrated into the patient's care pathway, and for which tasks can be delegated.
2023-11-10
In one year, I have carried out more than 1500 measurements and observed a significant improvement in the vascular age of the 100 patients treated, thanks to the adaptation of the treatment.
2023-09-01
In my opinion, the main advantage of the pOpmeter® is that it is not operator-dependent. You place the pOpmeter® and let it work, unlike other devices on the market.
2023-10-20
