Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2954
Date of Award
11-2024
Degree Name
MS in Biomedical Engineering
Department/Program
Biomedical Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Michael Whitt
Advisor Department
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is on a continuous exponential growth across the globe. Thus, research into the underlying factors, effective methods of diagnoses, and preventive measures is necessary. Endothelial dysfunction is an early detector of cardiovascular diseases and can be used to inform people of preventative measures and early treatments before any extreme medical conditions occur. Something that is also on the rise and closely linked with cardiovascular disease is diabetes. There have been many past research studies that show the impact of diabetes on cardiovascular disease and more specifically endothelial dysfunction. A calibrated cuff plethysmography device is a promising solution to measure endothelial function by specifically looking at the arterial compliance of certain blood vessels. IN this study, a calibrated cuff plethysmography device was used to test for the impact diabetes has on arterial compliance. Although the results did not show significant differences between the diabetic and control group it shows trends that we would expect from previous studies and is promising for more research. In this study the results showed no statistically significant difference between the diabetics and non-diabetics with a p-value of 0.805677 for the 0 mmHg – 75 mmHg range and a p-value of 0.668734 for the 25 mmHg – 75 mmHg range. However, when comparing the baseline measurements to the hyperemia measurements for the 0 mmHg – 75 mmHg range there was a statistically significant difference with a p-value of 0.0034 for diabetics and a p-value of 0.04347 for the non-diabetics. Given this statistically significant difference, the device used was concluded to effectively measure arterial compliance and area.