Background: The assessment of arterial stiffness and central pressures has been limited to specialised techniques and settings. New, more practical methods (ARCSolver) allow assessment using a standard brachial cuff. The objective was to assess the feasibility of central haemodynamics and surrogates of arterial stiffness from the ARCSolver in a community based setting.

Methods: Peripheral and central systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and wave reflection parameters (augmentation index) were obtained from a 1,903 volunteers in an Austrian community setting. We assessed for known differences and associations according to gender and each age deciles from <30 years to ≥80 years in the whole population and a subset with a systolic BP < 140 mmHg.

Results: Age and gender associations with central haemodynamic and augmentation parameters reflected those previously established from gold-standard non-invasive techniques under specialised settings (Fig. 1). Findings were the same for patients with a systolic BP below 140 mmHg (i.e. normotensive). Differences in actual values for augmentation index are likely due to lower numbers of volunteers in these age groups and method differences.

Figure 1

Regression curves for the effect of age on augmentation index in males (▴) and females (▪)

Conclusion: One-off measures of central haemodynamics and pulse wave augmentation from the ARCSolver demonstrated known age and gender associations which were not limited to normotensive individuals. Using ARCSolver to obtain estimates of central pressure and augmentation appears robust and feasible in a community setting. Further validation is now possible in large cohort studies, particularly in primary care settings.