CardioVision®

Arterial Stiffness Index
In addition to blood pressure and pulse information, the CardioVision also generates information on the stiffness or flexibility of the brachial artery. Called the Arterial Stiffness Index (ASI), the ASI is a number that correlates with arteriosclerosis. Because arteriosclerosis reduces flexibility in arteries, the higher the ASI, the more likely someone is to have hardening of the arteries, the lower the number, the less likely.

Why is it important to know how flexible arteries are? Arteries are responsible for moving the majority of the blood through the vascular tree. Consequently, non-flexible or hardened arteries cause the heart to work much harder when it is forced to push blood through partially occluded vessels. This extra strain on the heart and the resulting blockages are a root cause of cardiovascular disease. Until the invention of CardioVision, there was no easy, inexpensive or quick way to determine if a person’s vessels had lost flexibility. Many people are never aware that they are walking around with this “silent killer” until they experience their first heart attack from occluded vessels. It has been estimated that 60-70 million Americans harbor this silent killer and should make both life-style changes, such as getting more exercise, changing their diet, quitting smoking, and reducing their cholesterol. While everyone needs to adopt these changes, sometimes life-style changes alone are not enough. CardioVision identifies people who don’t even think they have a cardiovascular problem because they are non-smokers and exercise regularly and watch their diet. Consequently, the ASI can be viewed as another cardiovascular “risk factor”, just like high blood pressure or a cholesterol level above 200. Additionally, we think that the ASI can be used to follow cholesterol lowering therapy and other “risk factor” changes.

Donald E. Rediker, M.D., F.A.C.C., Medical Advisor, IMDP, Inc., recommends the following ASI /Coronary Artery Disease Risk (CAD) Factor Correlation:

Arterial Stiffness Index (ASI) Printout (PDF)
Framingham Risk Analysis Printout (PDF)
Ankle Brachial Index(ABI) Printout (PDF)

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