Noninvasive monitoring of autonomic cardiovascular control during stress

The authors examined noninvasively the autonomic cardiovascular control during Valsalva maneuver. In order to assess the extent of the control, heart rate (HR), T-wave amplitude (TWA), pulse transit time (PTT), and finger pulse volume (FPV) were monitored continuously through a PC-based computer system. Results show that Valsalva maneuver can be used as a noninvasive means of manipulating autonomic effects on the heart and blood vessels and that the system is effective for monitoring these effects.<
>