Hyperemic Brachial Artery Blood Flow Velocity

Abstract: This thesis aims to evaluate the blood flow velocity in the Brachial artery during reactive hyperemia. Primarily to appraise the information it might contain regarding cardiovascular function and cardiovascular risk.Ultrasonographic doppler measurements of the Brachial artery were made on the 1016 men and women aged 70 included in the prospective investigation of the vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS) study. Analysis of the blood flow velocity in the forearm was made in comparison to established methods of estimating endothelial function, clinical markers of cardiovascular risk, the Framingham risk score and global atherosclerosis determined by whole body magnetic resonance angiography.Systolic blood flow velocity was positively related to cardiovascular risk whereas the diastolic velocity was inversely correlated. However, the systolic to diastolic blood flow velocity (SDFV) ratio was more closely associated with cardiovascular risk than its components apart.Ultrasonographic markers of Carotid atherosclerosis were related to the SDFV ratio. Concentric left ventricular remodeling and left ventricular mass index were also associated with the SDFV ratio, but not to its numerator or denominator separately. A similar pattern was found when assessing SDFV ratio in relation to global atherosclerosis, as well as to established markers of arterial compliance and vasodilation.In conclusion, during reactive hyperemia of the Brachial artery, the systolic to diastolic blood flow velocity ratio appears to contain information of additional value than its components separately, independently of established cardiovascular risk factors. Possibly, the SDFV ratio could offer a promising means to estimate cardiovascular risk in aging populations.