Pulse Wave Velocity in Young South African Adults: Comparison Between the SphygmoCor CVMS and SphygmoCor XCEL Devices

Abstract Background Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the gold-standard non-invasive measure of arterial stiffness. Technological advances have led to the development of newer devices for measuring PWV, resulting in the discontinuation of earlier models. However, it is unclear whether PWV measurements from different devices can be combined within the same population. We therefore compared PWV obtained using the SphygmoCor CVMS (tonometer-ECG-gated) and XCEL (tonometer-thigh cuff) devices in a sample of young adults. South African adults ( n = 115, mean age: 35 ± 12 years, 50.4% male, 63.5% Black African) attending the ongoing Multi-Ethnic Early Vascular Ageing Study (MEEVA) had PWV measurements using SphygmoCor CVMS and XCEL devices. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman’s rank correlation, Bland-Altman plots, and regression analysis were employed to compare PWV across devices. Results No difference ( p = 0.07) in the PWV measurements between the CVMS (6.3 m/s, IQR: 5.5–7.4) and XCEL devices (6.2 m/s, IQR: 5.5–7.2), and a moderate correlation was observed (r s = 0.69, p < 0.001). There was an acceptable level of agreement (mean difference in PWV: 0.32 ± 1.67 m/s; limits of agreement: -2.95 to 3.59), albeit with a proportional bias, as CVMS recorded higher PWV than XCEL, with mean PWV > 8.5 m/s. Age ( p = 0.058) was the primary determinant of the difference in PWV between the devices. Conclusion There was no difference in PWV between CVMS and XCEL devices, and a good limit of agreement; a proportional bias was observed at higher PWV values. Hence, there is potential to pool data collected from either device, which would aid in creating larger South African-specific PWV databases.