Patent ID: 8251910

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring a vascular viscoelasticity index, characterized in that the apparatus comprises: a pulse wave component extraction means for extracting pulse wave components of a cuff pressure; a derivative waveform forming means for time-differentiating the extracted pulse wave components to calculate primary derivative values on which a derivative waveform is formed; a first maximal value detecting means for detecting a maximal value Pb 1 of a first pulse wave component among a plurality of extracted pulse wave components; a first local maximum value detecting means for detecting a local maximum value Va 1 of a time derivative pulse wave of said first pulse wave component; a first local maximum value-based amplitude detecting means for detecting a first pulse wave amplitude value Pa 1 which corresponds to the local maximal value Va 1 of the time derivative pulse wave of said first pulse wave component; a second maximal value detecting means for detecting a maximal value Pb 2 of a second pulse wave component among the plurality of extracted pulse wave components, the second pulse wave component being different from the first said pulse wave component; a second local maximum value detecting means for detecting a local maximum value Va 2 of a time derivative pulse wave of said second pulse wave component; a second local maximum value-based amplitude detecting means for detecting a second pulse wave amplitude value Pa 2 which corresponds to the local maximal value Va 2 of the time derivative pulse wave of said second pulse wave component; and an index computing means for computing an index α indicative of a vascular viscoelasticity by a formula α={(Pb 2 −Pa 2 )−(Pb 1 −Pa 1 )}/(Va 2 −Va 1 ).