Photoplethysmography Signals and their Correlation with Peripheral Artery Disease

Ava Jean Fascetti, Mustafa H. Naguib, Elsie G. Ross, Chris Longhurst, Pam R. Taub, Shamim Nemati, Edward Wang, Mattheus Ramsis

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Keywords: cardiovascular health, atherosclerosis, PPG, featurization

TL;DR: This paper identifies PPG morphology features that correlate with PAD in an analysis of N=2,362 unique patients (5,237 legs).

Abstract: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a common atherosclerotic condition that is underdiagnosed due to the lack of accessible screening options. Photoplethysmography (PPG) serves as a potentially valuable tool in accessible screening for PAD due to its ubiquitous nature and ability to be measured on a smartphone. However, the relationship between PPG and PAD is underexplored. In this paper, we seek to identify features of a PPG signal that correlate with PAD. In an analysis of 5,237 legs from N=2,362 unique patients, we find significant correlations with multiple different features and the ankle-brachial index (ABI), which is used to diagnose PAD. Additionally, these features agree with physiological explanations of PAD and how the disease affects blood flow. These results set up the ability of future work to develop an accessible screening tool for PAD that uses physiologically relevant features of PPG morphology.

Track: 1. Digital Health Solutions (i.e. sensors and algorithms) for diagnosis, progress, and self-management

NominateReviewer: Edward Wang ([e-mail])

Submission Number: 17