Objective: Wave intensity (WI) is a novel hemodynamic index that provides quantitative information concerning the dynamic interactions between the heart and the vascular system. We used WI to evaluate the working condition of the heart and its interactions with the arterial system in diabetic patients.
Methods: We studied 66 healthy control subjects and 66 diabetic patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction. The diabetic patients were divided into 2 subgroups: diabetic with microangiopathy subgroup and DM without microangiopathy subgroup. We recorded the real-time WIs and measured the magnitudes of the first peak (W1) and the second peak (W2), and the negative area (NA) of the carotid artery.
Results: In the control group, the W1, W2, and NA values were not dependent on age. However, the W1 and NA values in the diabetic-patients group correlated with age (W1: r = –0.548, P < 0.001; NA: r = –0.411, P = 0.018). The W1 and NA values in the diabetic with microangiopathy subgroup were much lower than those in the age-matched controls (W1: P < 0.001, NA: P = 0.015); there were no significant differences in the W2 values. The W1 and NA values in the diabetic without microangiopathy subgroup did not significantly differ from those in the age-matched control subgroup. However, the W2 value of the DM without microangiopathy subgroup was much lower than that of the controls (P = 0.039).
Conclusion: Carotid arterial WI in diabetic patients can represent the impaired working condition of the heart and the arterial system.