Carotid Pulses and Peripheral Plethysmograms at Rest

In 75 healthy men and 47 men with previous coronary occlusion (mean age for both groups 60.0 years), the right carotid pulses and an impedance plethysmogram of the forehead were recorded. There were no significant differences between the major items of the carotid pulse in the two groups, but the absolute and relative peak times of the forehead plethysmograms of the coronary group were shorter than those of the normal group of the same age, and more similar to the pulse contours in healthy younger population. The correlation between the carotid pulse and the forehead impedance plethysmograms was highly significant for most items in the healthy group, whereas in the coronary group only the ratio of initial anacrotic break height to maximal pulse height was significantly correlated in the two pulses. The results suggest a compensatory reaction of peripheral circulation in patients with previous coronary occlusion, and the possible mechanism is discussed.