Cardiac Cycle-Synchronous Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Therapy for Enhancing Peripheral Blood Perfusion

Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) is a potential treatment for peripheral arterial diseases. IPC devices consist of inflatable cuffs, typically wrapped around the lower legs and connected to an air pump that delivers repeated compression cycles. Traditionally, the rhythmic compression is empirically set, lacking adaptability to the patient's circulatory dynamics. In this study, we developed a cardiac cycle-synchronous IPC prototype equipped with a real-time physiological parameter monitoring module capable of extracting hemodynamic parameters in real time. Our results show that the cardiac cycle-synchronized IPC significantly improves the peripheral perfusion index (PPI) and augmentation index (AI) compared to baseline. Additionally, no significant changes in PPI were observed on the control side, indicating that IPC treatment does not adversely affect peripheral blood perfusion in untreated body regions. This developed IPC prototype highlights the potential benefits of precise synchronization between compression timing and the cardiac cycle, suggesting improved therapeutic efficacy.Clinical Relevance - This cardiac cycle-synchronized IPC enhances peripheral blood perfusion, while the integrated physiological parameter monitoring system enables real-time evaluation of treatment effectiveness.