Newsletter – January 2006
The Cincinatti Rehabilitation Center now has a Digital Pulsewave Analyzer. The
DPA provides information on arterial wall stiffness and determines the biological
age of arteries in less than 3 minutes. This FDA approved, user-friendly, noninvasive device uses a finger probe to observe the changes in pressure, blood
flow, velocity and profile throughout the whole pulse wave.
Aging and disease states associated with an increase in cardiovascular events
alter the physical characteristics of blood vessel walls and impair the pulsatile
function of arteries. Impaired pulsatile function of arteries provides important
prognostic and therapeutic information beyond that provided by traditional blood
pressure measurements.
Dr. Harry Elwardt believes that the use of the DPA can help caregivers reduce
cardiovascular disease in their patient populations through early detection and
prevention, and ultimately assist to decrease the associated financial costs
placed on the health care industry. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer for
both men & women in the United States with an estimated economic cost of
approximately $298 billion
In summary the DPA provides:
• Early detection of arterial wall stiffness
• Biological age of arteries
• Information regarding efficacy of treatment choices
• A tool to monitor the arterial wall response to lifestyle changes / reduction of
cardiovascular risk factors
Digital Pulse Analyzer (DPA) – Heart Rate Variability
The DPA now has an added software feature that measures Heart Rate
Variability. Decreased HRV implies decreased ability to respond to changes in
the environment. Too much consistency in heart rate (less variability) is often
associated with dysfunction and disease.
The DPA software analyzes
imperceptible changes in the heart rate waveforms, provides indices and
evaluates the current body condition and activities/balances of the autonomic
nervous system.
Low HRV has been shown in numerous longitudinal studies to be related to a
higher mortality rate in both healthy and unhealthy subjects. It thus can be
shown to be a strong predicator of all-cause mortality. The heart is not just a
simple pump, but a complex sensory organ with its own functional "heart brain"
that communicates with and influences the brain via the nervous system,
hormonal system and other pathways.
Research has shown that these influences profoundly affect brain function and
most of the body's major organs. Science now confirms that stress significantly
increases the risk of heart disease, including sudden cardiac death. Unmanaged
emotional stress is equally if not more important than physical variables in
determining health outcomes. A conservative estimate is that 75% of visits to
primary care physicians are due to stress-related disorders.
Cardiovascular-related issues are not the only uses for the DPA. Psychologists
are increasingly recognizing the importance of HRV. A number of studies have
demonstrated that patients with anxiety, phobias and post-traumatic stress
disorder (PSTD) consistently show lower HRV, even when not exposed to a
trauma related prompt. Importantly, this relationship existed independent of age,
gender, trait anxiety, cardio-respiratory fitness, heart rate, blood pressure and
respiration rate.
What is an arterial pulse wave?
The pulse wave is a physiological phenomenon, observable and measurable in
the arterial system during blood circulation. During one heart systole a certain
blood volume is expelled. This propagates through the arteries due to the
reciprocal transformation between kinetic energy of a segment of the expelled
blood volume and the potential energy of a stretched segment of the resilient
vascular wall. We can observe the changes in pressure, blood flow, velocity and
profile throughout the whole pulse wave. It can be used for classification of the
artery elasticity. 1
Why test for arterial elasticity?
"Aging and disease states associated with an increase in cardiovascular events
alter the physical characteristics of blood vessel walls and impair the pulsatile
function of the arteries. An accumulating body of evidence indicates that impaired
pulsitile function of arteries provides important prognostic and therapeutic
information beyond that provided by traditional blood pressure measurements." 2
"The ability to detect and monitor sub-clinical damage, representing the
cumulative and integrated influence of risk factors in impairing arterial wall
integrity, holds potential to further refine cardiovascular risk stratification and
enable early intervention to prevent or attenuate disease progression." 3
"Accumulating evidence suggest that abnormalities in the pulsatile characteristics
of arteries occur early in the disease processes associated with increased
cardiovascular risk, and can be favorably modified by therapeutic interventions." 4
"We now know that the health of the endothelium and the blood vessels directly
affects overall cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease kills 500,000
Americans every year in the form of heart attack and stroke. About 16 million
more Americans suffer pain and disabilities caused by cardiovascular disease.
Today, over 60,800,000 Americans (a quarter of the U.S. population) have one or
more conditions that put them at risk for heart attack and stroke."5
"The economic costs of these vessel diseases are staggering. In 2001, the
economic cost of all cardiovascular disease was approximately $298 billion,
including health expenditures and lost productivity"
Waveforms Produced By The DPA
Plethysmogram (PTG) Waveform - The shape of the pulse wave is determined,
in part, by the elasticity of the blood vessels. The DPA can analyze the shape of
the curve to get early information about a developing arterial vascular disease.
The pulse wave analysis can often detect changes very early, and is noninvasive, very easy to use, and one of the most economical techniques available
today. The DPA uses a fingertip probe sensor - light from the LED/Photodiode is
transmitted through the tissue at the sensor site. The Photodiode detects the
changes in the amount of light absorbed by the hemoglobin which forms the
PTG.
Accelerated Plethysmogram (APG) Waveform - The second derivative of PTG an excellent method to evaluate the biological age of arteries.
Other Measurements With The DPA
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Pulse Rate
Ejection time (Etc)
Pulse Height (PH) - Pulse amplitude
Ejection Elastic Index (EEI)-- indicator of Left Ventricle ejection and
elasticity of large arteries
Dicrotic Dilation Index (DDI)- indicator of small artery compliance
Dicrotic Elastic Index (DEI) - peripheral vessel elasticity (arterioles to
veins)
Software program to measure Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Software program will store all patient information
DPA Advantages
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Early detection of arterial wall elasticity and determination of biological
arterial age in less than 3 minutes
Software program tests Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in 5 minutes
Monitors effectiveness of therapeutic intervention
Monitors arterial wall response to lifestyles changes / reduction of
cardiovascular risk factors
Non-invasive - uses a LED/Photodiode finger probe sensor.
Device is FDA approved
Lightweight and portable (12 lbs)
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User friendly
Can be used alone (thermal printer) or interfaced with computer for
storage of information
Color printout data sheet when interfaced with user's computer/printer
Affordable
Revenue generator
Business Solutions
Our technology-driven health information solutions help your organization better
connect and interact with your consumers, patients, employees and plan
members. We create new capabilities for our clients with technology-enhanced
world-class health information that exceeds healthcare industry standards.
Whether you're health professional, health plan, or independent representative,
our solutions can help you: Lead consumers to your organization's products and
services Help to influence appropriate utilization of healthcare services. Help to
build loyal relationships with your patients/customers Integrate easily into a
program, or other application. We can create new capabilities for your
organization too. Learn more about our cost-effective screening device.
Easy-to-read, easy-to-interpret reports are:
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Relevant and trustworthy
Engaging and effective
Comprehensive, yet easy to use
Help your clients see the results and effects of compliance with therapy
(i.e. supplementation)
Allow easy evaluation of the effectiveness of various therapies
Validate and document therapeutic effects for research purposes
The software provides a variety of graphic and tabular reports with
statistical summaries.
Health Professionals
Our technology-driven health information solutions help your organization better
connect and interact with your consumers, patients, employees and plan
members. We create new capabilities for our clients with technology-enhanced
world-class health information that exceeds healthcare industry standards.
Whether you’re health professional, health plan, or independent representative,
our solutions can help you:



Lead consumers to your organization’s products and services
Help to influence appropriate utilization of healthcare services
Help to build loyal relationships with your patients/customers

Integrate easily into a program, or other application
We can create new capabilities for your organization too. Learn more about our
cost-effective screening device. DPA easy-to-read, easy-to-interpret reports can:
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Help your patients see the results and effects of compliance with therapy.
Allow easy evaluation of the effectiveness of various therapies.
Validate and document therapeutic effects for study purposes.
The software provides a variety of graphic and tabular reports with
statistical summaries.
A Powerful New Tool for Health Care Professionals
As a health care professional using the DPA® Advantage, you have a powerful
new tool and advanced technology providing you with cardiovascular parameters
specific to the health of arteries. In minutes, an easy-to-understand report and
the precise data you require is available for identifying cardiovascular disease
risk in your patients.
This non-invasive system is capable of measuring arterial compliance. The
DPA® Advantage's sensitivity to early arterial changes builds highly detailed data
for assessment in determining whether patients have potential underlying
vascular disease, as well as developing an outline for the physician of the
potential effects of patient-specific risk factors.
DPA Advantage was developed specifically for use in mobile events, clinics and
tradeshow events and can easily and successfully become an important tool in
your current patient recruitment& retention process.
Advanced Technology Arrives In Your Practice
The DPA® device measures a pulse waveform produced by the beating heart.
Data captured by the DPA® during a patient test is analyzed and reported in just
minutes to provide a clear, concise evaluation tool for health care professionals.
Arterial stiffness indices are particularly important in identifying individuals who
exhibit the development of vascular disease, and enables the healthcare
professional to begin appropriate treatment long before the symptoms or clinical
signs appear. The DPA has many applications including:
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Hypertension
Borderline Hypertension
Hyperlipidemial
Endothelial Function
Getting started: Simple, quick and painless for physician and patient
Your practice already has everything you need to begin using the DPA® today,
and your patients' comfort and ease during the test is assured.
To begin the test, the appropriate patient-specific data is collected through a
series of questions. As your patient rests comfortably, an arterial finger pulse
sensor is placed on the left finger. The instrument's monitor displays the
waveform as it is sensed. Once data is collected and analyzed, you simply print
the DPA Report.
The DPA® is a portable and easy-to-use "plug and play" system that requires no
additional accessories or disposable components. Enjoy the following benefits:
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Minimal capital outlay
Low monthly payments
Per-patient-test revenue
Reference Ranges
The reference ranges are based on a comparable set of values obtained from
similar healthy subjects. It is possible that an abnormal value may be normal for
you but they should be discussed with your physician as only they are qualified to
make a determination as to the significance and/or make a diagnosis.
Prevention
One purpose of this screening is to prevent disease before symptoms occur. In
those instances where symptoms have developed, laboratory tests results help
confirm that a problem does exist. But a normal test result is just as significant as
an abnormal result. A normal result does not mean that a test was unnecessary.
When a result is normal, it not only helps rule out disease, but is also establishes
a baseline "normal". A person's own result is the best baseline for monitoring any
change that takes place in the future.
Almost everyone in this country knows about heart disease. They know the
importance of prevention, detection, and treatment and the huge impact it has on
people's health. But they know very little about vascular disease outside the
heart.
Early Detection is Vital
In most cases, with early detection, vascular disease can be treated effectively.
The DPA test is a simple screening test that may detect these potential
problems, all of which are non-invasive and painless. The beauty of the
screening is that it is very simple. The tests do not produce any risk or discomfort
for patients, and can be done in a matter of minutes.
To make an appointment to be tested please contact us at 513-772-9065.
TAKE IT TO HEART
Did you know that over 1,000,000 die each year due to heart disease, every 60
seconds someone dies of a heart attack. 500,00 women every year die from
heart disease.
SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH (SCD) account for 300,000 deaths each
year - 1 every 60 seconds. 95% die before reaching the hospital. 100,000 athletes die each
year from SCD. 60% of youth – at risk for heart disease. Heart attacks kill more people
than the next 9 caused of death… combined.
Heart Disease is like seven Boeing 747’s crashing with no survivors… every day.
THE NOBEL PRISZE WINNING RESEARCH
In 1998, a team of scientist won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discoveries about
nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a powerful “vasodilator’” which simply means to help keeps
your arteries open and maintain their smooth, Teflon-like texture so blood can flow
normally. Nitric oxide should not be confused with nitrous oxide, which is laughing gas.
For people with diabetes, smokers, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight,
heart diseased or with a history or propensity towards vascular disease, there is a decrease
in nitric oxide production. This causes the lining in the wall of their arteries to become
like “Velcro” eventually causing sticky platelets; cholesterol and potential obstruction of
plaque build up. Today, one in every four people suffers from heart disease, with another
60 million at risk.
ARGININE PATHWAY
Arginine is a naturally occurring amino acid, which the body then converts into nitric
oxide {NO). Nitric oxide plays an essential role in every human system
– cardiovascular ( 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine)
– Immune with energy production,
Erectile function / production
Muscular development
Hundreds of clinical studies on Arginine demonstrate its effectiveness in helping the
body produce necessary nitric oxide.
Your body converts L-Arginine into nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels to remain
open and blood to flow more efficiently, and smoothly throughout the body.
Nitric oxide is essential for the maintenance and restoration of blood vessels. Nitric oxide
helps blood vessels open up when there is a need for increased blood flow, and has been
shown to reduce dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries. Antioxidants have been shown
to help the body regenerate tissue and prevent aging.
There is now available a product that can give you the dosage to make a difference in
your cardiovascular system. It provides five grams of L-Arginine per ounce plus OPC’s
from grape seed extract and polyphenols from grape skin extract. It is great-tasting liquid
product that is quickly absorbed by the body via proprietary fulvic mineral delivery.
L-Arginine is the precursor to nitric oxide, the body converts L-Arginine to nitric oxide,
L-Arginine has been proven to support a healthy cardiovascular. OPS'’ or oligometric
proanthocyanadins, and polyphenols are among the most powerful antioxidants available.
Twenty times more potent than vitamin C and fifty times more potent than vitamin E.
Antioxidants are proven to help the body maintain health.
Fulvic minerals are naturally occurring plant-derived mineral. The fulvic minerals act as
a transporter for the Arginine and the antioxidants. The fulvic mineral help into increase
the ease with which the body absorbs the nutrients
There is now available a FDA approved equipment to test Vascular Flow Study which
not only look at the flow through the small and large blood vessels but also the peripheral
vessels like your upper and lower extremities. It also addresses the plaque build up and
the hardening of the blood vessels. It can demonstrate if you are missing beats, a reason
for Sudden Cardiac Death. For more information, go to www.chiropractic4u.com.
If you are interested in the testing, contact 513-772-9065. Free screening will be available
in February so take HEART.