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Biomedical Signals

Circulatory biomedical signals (Dr Hsin Hsiu)

In our recent works, we focused on the analysis of the microcirculatory blood flow signals, such as the LDF (laser Doppler flowmetry) and PPG (photoplethysmography) signals. We hope to improve the resolution for the physiological condition of the measurement techniques, with the aim to apply these techniques in assessing the disease progression and evaluating the whole-body distribution of blood supply.

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The following figure illustrates one important finding of this topic. In this study, variability of the microcirculatory blood flow (MBFV) parameters was calculated from the beat-to-beat LDF waveform, and it was revealed to be able to be used instead of the microcirculatory blood flow itself as an index to discriminate different local microcirculatory regulation in terms of the opening condition of arteriolar openings. Deeper understanding of MBFV parameters could be useful in monitoring of progression of cardiovascular diseases and in predicting the efficacy of specific therapies.

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In our future work, we will also try to establish a composite measurement system to extend the scope of the microcirculatory blood flow monitoring. This system will integrate various measurement techniques, such as those in LDF, ECG (electrocardiogram), PPG, and BPW (blood pressure waveform) signals. By the aid of this system, we can monitor the blood-supply function in different levels of the cardiovascular system, including the heartbeat, the artery, and the microcirculation. This topic needs to integrate the knowledge of electronics, optical measurement, biomechanics, signal processing, and circulatory physiology. The main idea of this topic is: under some specific condition, there can be a reliable correlation between BP and PPG waveforms. In our recent study, he noninvasively derived PPG parameters measured by our main-made system (as illustrated in the following figure) might provide an easier method to acquire the radial-artery BP waveform, and hence broaden the application of BP waveform analysis. We hope in the near future, these studies can aid the development of new medical devices contributing to the diagnosis and treatment monitoring in various chronic diseases.

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