An instrument from AtCor Medical, Fountainville, Pa., (www.atcormedical.com) calculates a central blood-pressure profile from an external pressure transducer, providing a noninvasive method for assessing the stiffness of a person's arteries. The transducer for the SphygmorCor Px Aortic Pulse Wave Analysis system is placed on the wrist over the radial artery. The machine then measures the pressure effects on key parameters of cardiac function. This information is complementary to traditional blood pressure measurements. Increased arterial stiffness is an indicator for heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke.

The machine records pressure waveforms in the radial artery and ...