Radial pressure wave analysis provides the characteristics of Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern in coronary heart disease

Objective: To explore the possibility of using a pulse measuring instrument to help the pattern differentiation by investigating the characteristics of radial pressure wave analysis in patients with Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern in coronary heart disease. Methods: Patients who were hospitalized in the Cardiovascular Department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from March 2023 to April 2023, diagnosed to be coronary heart disease, enrolled in the study. All included patients' age, gender, and BMI values were collected, the visit measured the subject's radial pressure waves. Radial pressure wave data were continuously recorded for 12-s using a HMYH1300 pulse measuring instrument. According to the theory of "Qi and blood resonance", the radial pressure wave harmonic indexes C0-C7 were calculated by Fourier transform. The patients were divided into a Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern group and a non-Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern group according to the standard of " Chinese Medicine Clinical Diagnostic and Treatment Terminology " . Baseline comparisons were made between the two groups by using statistical methods such as t-test, nonparametric test, chi-square test, and the left and right hands’ radial pressure waves were compared either. Combining all included patients’ radial pressure waves of left and right hands, the corresponding indexes between two groups were compared. Then, using the logistic regressing analysis to explore the relationship between Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern and the radial pressure wave, drawing ROC curves and running bootstrap internal validation to prove their accuracy. Results: A total of 111 patients were included, of whom 73 were in the Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern group and 38 were in the non-Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern group. No significant difference was found in the baseline between the two groups (P > 0.05). A comparison of two groups showed significant differences in C0, C2, C3, and C5 (P<0.05). Logistic regressing analysis showed that the lower the C2 and C3 are, the higher the risk of Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern the included patients have (C2 OR: 0.896, 95% CI: 0.854-0.939, C3 OR: 0.959, 95% CI: 0.935-0.984). The area under the curve was 0.873 (95% CI: 0.825-0.922), and bootstrap internal validation’s 95%CI was (0.8449, 0.9364). Conclusion: The effects on the radial pressure wave, especially on hemodynamic index C2 and C3, independent of gender, age, and BMI, may explain the increased risk of Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern in patients with coronary heart disease. This and past studies suggested that radial pressure waves C2 and C3 refer to the kidney meridian of foot-Shaoyin, and the spleen meridian of foot-Taiyin. This study provided further clinical evidence to support the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine that describes the Qi deficiency of the spleen and kidney related to the Qi deficiency induced blood stasis pattern.