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Plethysmography: Blood Flow Measurement

Plethysmography is a technique that measures volume changes in the body resulting from blood pulsations with each heartbeat. A plethysmograph consists of a rigid chamber placed over a limb or digit to measure volume changes, using either fluid or air to fill the chamber. The instrument includes a pressure or displacement transducer to convert pressure changes within the chamber into a signal representing the volume of the limb or digit. A plethysmograph can measure individual heartbeat volume changes or total blood flow into a limb by inflating a pressure cuff above venous pressure.

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Faraz Thakur
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430 views2 pages

Plethysmography: Blood Flow Measurement

Plethysmography is a technique that measures volume changes in the body resulting from blood pulsations with each heartbeat. A plethysmograph consists of a rigid chamber placed over a limb or digit to measure volume changes, using either fluid or air to fill the chamber. The instrument includes a pressure or displacement transducer to convert pressure changes within the chamber into a signal representing the volume of the limb or digit. A plethysmograph can measure individual heartbeat volume changes or total blood flow into a limb by inflating a pressure cuff above venous pressure.

Uploaded by

Faraz Thakur
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Plethysmography

A presentation by Faraz Shabbir Thakur

Introduction: Related to the measurement of blood flow is the measurement of volume changes in any part of the body that result from the pulsations of blood occurring in each heartbeat. Such measurements are useful in the diagnosis of arterial obstructions as well as pulse-wave velocity measurements. Instruments measuring volume changes or providing outputs that can be related thereto, is called plethysmography.

Description: A true plethysmograph is one that actually responds to changes in volume. Such an instrument consists of a rigid cup or chamber placed over the limb or digit in which the volume changes are to be measured so that any changes of volume in the limb or digit reflect a pressure changes inside the chamber. Either fluid or air can be used to fill the chamber

An Arrangement for Plethysmograph

Approaches: Plethysmographs may be designed for constant pressure or constant volume within the chamber. In either case, some form of pressure or displacement transducer must be included to respond to pressure changes within the chamber and to provide a signal that can be calibrated

to represent the volume of the limb or digit. The baseline pressure can be calibrated by use of calibrating syringe.

This type of plethysmograph can be used in two ways:-

1. If the pressure cuff, placed upstream from the seal, is not inflated, the output signal is simply a sequence of pulsations proportional to the individual volume changes with each heartbeat.

2. The plethysmograph illustrated in the fig. Can also be used to measure the total amount of blood flowing into the limb or digit being measured. By inflating the cuff (placed slightly upstream from the seal) to a pressure just above venous pressure, arterial blood can flow past the cuff, but venous blood cannot leave. The result is that the limb or digit increases its volume with each heartbeat by the volume of the blood entering during that beat. The output tracing for this measurement is shown in the fig. The slope of a line along the peaks of these pulsations represents the overall rate at which blood enters the limb or digit. Note however that after a few seconds the slope tends to level off. This is caused by a back pressure that builds up in the limb or digit from the accumulation of blood that cannot escape.

A Plethysmograph

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