A novel device for measuring arterial stiffness using finger-toe pulse wave velocity: Validation study of the pOpmètre®

Summary Background The finger-toe pathway could be a good alternative for assessing arterial stiffness conveniently. Aim To evaluate the accuracy of the pOpmetre ®  – a new device that measures finger-toe pulse wave velocity (ft-PWV). Methods The pOpmetre has two photodiode sensors, positioned on the finger and the toe. Pulse waves are recorded continuously for 20 seconds, and the difference in pulse wave transit time between toe and finger (ft-TT) is calculated. The travelled distance is estimated using subject height. Study 1 compared ft-PWV with carotid-femoral PWV (cf-PWV) obtained by the reference method (SphygmoCor ® ) in 86 subjects (mean age 53 ± 20 years), including 69 patients with various pathologies and 17 healthy normotensives. Study 2 compared changes in ft-PWV and cf-PWV during a cold pressor test in 10 healthy subjects. Study 3 assessed repeatability in 45 patients. Results ft-PWV correlated significantly with cf-PWV ( R 2  = 0.43; P R 2  = 0.61; P Conclusion The pOpmetre ® allows measurement of arterial stiffness in routine clinical practice. The greatest advantages of ft-PWV are simplicity, rapidity, feasibility, acceptability by patients and correct agreement with the reference technique. Further studies are needed to adjust for bias and to validate the pOpmetre in larger populations.