FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-65/8

Title and Subtitle: On the elimination of pulse wave velocity in stroke volume determination from the ultralow frequency displacement ballistocardiogram.

Report Date: March 1964 (reprint)

Authors: van Brummelen AGW, Scarborough WR, Josenhans WKT.

Abstract: A hydrodynamic model of the systemic circulatory system was mounted on an ultralow-frequency ballistocardiograph (ULF-BCG). The relationship between stroke volume and ballistocardiographic amplitude was investigated for different pulse wave velocities. It was found that the amplitude of the displacement ballistocardiogram, as used by Klensch (J M minus I J), is strongly correlated to stroke volume; however, the relationship is highly dependent on pulse wave velocity.

Closer evaluation of the data showed that there is a combination of amplitude measurements that also gives a strong correlation between amplitude and stroke volume but is now independent of pulse wave velocity.

Note: this document is a reprint of American Heart Journal 1964;67(3):374-378.

Key Words: ballistocardiography, anatomical models, heart, blood pressure, blood volume, aorta, hydrodynamics.

No. of Pages: 6