RESUMO
AIM: The Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) is a stiffness index of the arterial tree from the origin of the aorta to the ankle, independent of blood pressure at the time of measurement. The CAVI equation includes the coefficients "a" and "b" to adjust it to the value of Hasegawa's pulse wave velocity, which is compensated for at 80 mmHg of diastolic pressure. To verify this adjustment with the coefficients, the clinical significance of CAVI and CAVI without the coefficients (haß) were compared in both an epidemiological study and an acute clinical study. METHODS: In the epidemiological study, the significances of CAVI and haß among people with or without coronary risks such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and abnormal electrocardiography change, were compared. In the acute clinical study, nitroglycerin was administered to subjects in a control group and to coronary artery disease patients, observing CAVI and haß values over a 20-min period. RESULTS: There was no discrepancy in terms of statistically significant differences between CAVI and haß among subjects with or without risk factors. Furthermore, there was also no discrepancy in terms of statistically significant differences between CAVI and haß during the changes of those values following nitroglycerin administration over a 20-min period. CONCLUSION: In both the epidemiologic and clinical studies, there was no discrepancy in terms of significant differences between CAVI and haß. These results suggest that both are valid as indices of stiffness of the arterial tree from the origin of the aorta to the ankle.
