SphygmoCor (Sfig-Moe-Core)

The blood pressure at the heart is different than the blood pressure measured at the arm, and can often predict who will go on to develop true hypertension years before this entity becomes clinically evident. It has been established that blood pressure at the heart (“central” blood pressure) is more predictive of future adverse cardiovascular events, and is more precisely indicative of the true pressures that the heart, brain, kidneys, and other organs are exposed to, unlike the usual arm blood pressure most encounter at their typical office visit. Unfortunately, the actual central blood pressure can differ from the traditionally measured arm blood pressure by up to 25%, which can result in over or undertreatment.

The ShygmoCor test also determines and evaluates the “stiffness” of your blood vessels, an important marker of blood vessel health. This can help determine the most appropriate mode of treatment and agents used to treat. Therefore, one can be treated less invasively years before hypertension would usually be detected by traditional means, allowing for less invasive, less toxic treatments. Abnormal central measurements mean a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.

The SphygmoCor system determines your central blood pressure and the health of your larger arteries, and provides a wide range of valuable information about one’s cardiovascular health and risk. Dr. Marcus is a nationally recognized expert and lecturer on the importance of measuring central blood pressure and associated parameters.