Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV):

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a measure of how quickly a blood pressure pulse travels through an artery. It’s a biomarker that indicates the stiffness of the arteries and is used to assess cardiovascular health and risk. PWV is calculated by measuring the time it takes for a pressure wave to pass between two points on an artery, and then dividing the distance between those points by the time delay. 

PWV is a useful tool for monitoring patients with vascular diseases like diabetes and hypertension. It can also help identify and assess cardiovascular risk factors. PWV values are strongly associated with aging, and age-related changes to the elasticity of arterial walls can lead to cardiovascular disease. PWV measurements can help detect these changes before symptoms develop. Other conditions such as chronic pain, arthritis, spinal problems and use of opioids have shown to increase cardiovascular risk which can also be detected by PWV.

Lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, exercising, and controlling blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol levels can help improve PWV measurements. 

PWV can be measured using a variety of equipment, including: Oscillometric, Tonometric, Volume-plethysmographic, and Photo-plethysmographic