Advancing Radial Arterial Pulsation Simulation: Wave Decomposition Modeling with Hardware Implementation

Radial arterial pulse waveforms (RAPWs) have been actively studied for decades as they provide important information on cardiovascular disease risk factors. The primary goal of this study is to propose a new method that accurately simulates and physically implements the realistic pulse wave of the radial artery, taking into account the reflected wave of the fluidic pressure generated by the elasticity of the arterial walls and branching of blood vessels. To this end, this study utilizes the wave decomposition modeling approach, which entails separating a single pulse pressure waveform (PPW) into three waveform components, consisting of one forward wave and two backward or reflective waves. based on the physiology of pulse waveforms. It employs a six-degree-of-freedom mathematical model that integrates the three, and the control parameters of these components can be adjusted to generate the desired pulse waveforms This model is then realized in a physical pulse simulation system using three cylindrical cams with continuously varying surface profiles, each representing forward and backward wave components. By controlling the position, the phase, as well as spin speed and direction of the cams, the simulator can reconstruct desired radial pulse waveforms. To evaluate the performance of the simulator, the reproduced pulse waveforms were compared with approximate radial pulse pressure waveforms based on in vivo data in terms of the augmentation index (AI) and L2 error. The results showed that the errors were less than 5.3 % for all age groups, indicating that the proposed pulse simulator can reproduce the age-specific pulse waveforms corresponding to human radial pulse waveforms. Furthermore, the results demonstrated the consistent and repeatable ability of the pulse simulator to replicate desired pulses, indicating its potential for effective use in palpation training for RAPWs.