Pulse wave blood pressure measurement is patented different from the oscillometric method and fully validated by numerous studies.
The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is the ratio of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) measured at the ankle to that measured at the brachial artery. Originally described by Winsor in 1950, this index was initially proposed for the noninvasive diagnosis of lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Later, it was shown that the ABI is an indicator of atherosclerosis at other vascular sites and can serve as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular events and functional impairment, even in the absence of symptoms of PAD.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE USE:
– In the case of clinical suspicion based on symptoms and clinical findings, the ABI should be used as the first-line noninvasive test for the diagnosis of PAD.
– An ABI <0.90 should be considered the threshold for confirming the diagnosis of lower-extremity PAD.
– When the ABI is >1.40 but there is clinical suspicion of PAD, a toe-brachial index or other noninvasive tests, which may include imaging, should be used.