Pulse transit time and blood pressure: an intensive analysis.

Relationships between pulse transit time (PTT) and intra-arterial systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were examined in 4 subjects under three conditions: rest, paced respiration, and mental arithmetic. PTT was measured from the EKG R-wave to two peripheral pulses (brachial and radial) and from one pulse to the other. Three points on each pulse wave were used (peak, foot, slope) in the measurements, yielding nine different measures of PTT. The nine PTT measures were not consistently intercorrelated. PTTs initiated by the R-wave were moderately correlated with SBP, but not with DBP or MAP. Brachial to radial PTTs were not correlated with any measures of BP. Relationships between PTT and BP also varied from subject to subject. The limited magnitude of the correlations and their inconsistency suggest caution in the simple substitution of PTT for beat-to-beat measures of BP.