# US 2013/0158419 A1 · Apparatus for evaluating vascular endothelial function > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158419 A1 - Document ID: US20130158419A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/712,104 - Filed: 2012-12-12 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-19 - Assignees: Nihon Kohden Corporation; Hiroshima University - Inventors: Toshio TSUJI; Masao YOSHIZUM; Yukihito HIGASHI; Masashi KAWAMOTO; Hideo OZAWA; Teiji UKAWA; Tsuneo TAKAYANAGI; Haruka MORIMOTO; Ryosuke KUBO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158419A1 ## CPC - A61B 5/02007: {Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance} - A61B 5/02108: {from analysis of pulse wave characteristics} - A61B 5/02233: {Occluders specially adapted therefor (tourniquets A61B17/132)} - A61B 5/0225: the pressure being controlled by electric signals, e.g. derived from Korotkoff sounds - A61B 5/7242: {using integration} - A61B 5/7278: {Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesizing signals from measured signals} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract An apparatus for evaluating a vascular endothelial function, includes: a cuff pressure controlling unit configured to perform continuous pressure stimulation on a part of a body of a subject for a predetermined time, by using a cuff adapted to be wrapped around the part of the body of the subject; a cuff pressure detecting unit configured to detect a cuff pressure from an output of a pressure sensor connected to the cuff; a pulse wave detecting unit configured to detect a pulse wave from the output of the pressure sensor; and an analyzing unit configured to evaluate the vascular endothelial function by comparing vessel viscoelastic indexes which are obtained from the pulse wave detected in two of zones before, during, and after the pressure stimulation, and which exclude an amplitude of the pulse wave. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for evaluating a vascular endothelial function, the apparatus comprising: a cuff pressure controlling unit configured to perform continuous pressure stimulation on a part of a body of a subject for a predetermined time, by using a cuff adapted to be wrapped around the part of the body of the subject; a cuff pressure detecting unit configured to detect a cuff pressure from an output of a pressure sensor connected to the cuff; a pulse wave detecting unit configured to detect a pulse wave from the output of the pressure sensor; and an analyzing unit configured to evaluate the vascular endothelial function by comparing vessel viscoelastic indexes which are obtained from the pulse wave detected in two of zones before, during, and after the pressure stimulation, and which exclude an amplitude of the pulse wave. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vessel viscoelastic indexes which exclude the amplitude of the pulse wave are one of velocities, areas, accelerations, waveform heights, and peak time periods of the pulse wave detected in the two of zones. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure stimulation is pressurization at a substantially constant pressure for the predetermined time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cuff pressure controlling unit performs at least one time processing in which, at least one of before and after the pressure stimulation, the cuff pressure is raised from an atmosphere pressure to a pressure that is equal to or higher than a mean blood pressure of the subject, and then lowered to a pressure that is equal to or lower than a minimal blood pressure of the subject. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing unit evaluates the vascular endothelial function by comparing a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave which is obtained in a constant-pressure process in which a predetermined pressure of the cuff pressure, which is attained in a pressurization process, is maintained for a predetermined time period, with a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave which is obtained before or after the pressure stimulation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing unit performs statistical processing on a change of the pulse wave obtained during a change of the cuff pressure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the statistical processing is processing in which a maximum value of a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave in a process of pressurizing or depressurizing the cuff pressure is obtained. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the statistical processing is processing in which a maximum value of a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave in a constant-pressure process of the cuff pressure is obtained. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the statistical processing is processing in which an average value of a neighborhood of a maximum value of a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave obtained during the change of the cuff pressure is obtained. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the statistical processing is processing in which an average value of a neighborhood of a maximum value of a vessel viscoelastic index excluding an amplitude of the pulse wave obtained when the cuff pressure is constant is obtained. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displaying unit, wherein the analyzing unit calculates a blood pressure value from the pulse wave, and the displaying unit displays the blood pressure value together with a result of a comparison by the analyzing unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cuff includes a first cuff which is adapted to be wrapped around a first part of the body of the subject, and a second cuff which is adapted to be wrapped around a second part of the body of the subject, the cuff pressure controlling unit controls pressurization and depressurization of one of the first and second cuffs, and the cuff pressure detecting unit detects the cuff pressure from an output of a pressure sensor connected to the other of the first and second cuffs. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first and second cuffs are placed on one of four limbs of the body of the subject.