Errors in estimating propagation distances in pulse wave velocity.

To the Editor: Recent correspondence1,2 over the report by Lantelme et al3 exposes a more serious problem with the use of the automated pulse wave velocity (PWV) measuring instrument (Complior®). The aortic PWV reported by Lantelme et al (∼14 m/s) was approximately 50% higher than the aortic PWVs obtained by others for similarly aged human subjects, 8.7 m/s.4 In fact, a literature search revealed that other investigators using this instrument have also measured unreasonably high aortic PWVs.5–7 It appears the problem lies with the error in estimation of the propagation distance of the traveling pulse. The manufacturer recommends the use of the absolute distance between the 2 transducers as the propagation distance.8 This approach is not only inconsistent with published data but also introduces a body size bias into the PWV measurements. Using the …