New Study Demonstrates Fully Non-Invasive Reconstruction of Heart Pressure Waveforms

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PASADENA, Calif. — October 31, 2025 — A collaborative study led by Dr. Niema Pahlevan and Dr. Robert A. Kloner of Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) and the University of Southern California (USC) introduces a novel hybrid imaging and pressure-based method to reconstruct the entire left ventricular pressure (LVP) waveform without invasive catheterization.

Published in European Heart Journal – Imaging Methods and Practice, the paper — “A New Hybrid Echocardiography and Arterial Pressure Waveform Approach for Non-Invasive Reconstruction of the Entire Left Ventricular Pressure Waveform” — validates an algorithm capable of accurately reproducing cardiac pressure waveforms using only carotid artery pressure signals and echocardiographic imaging.

The research team — Coskun Bilgi, Rashid Alavi, Jiajun Li, Wangde Dai, Abdala Elkhal, Ray V. Matthews, Robert A. Kloner, and Niema M. Pahlevan — tested the algorithm in a preclinical model of myocardial ischemia and infarction (n=39 rats) under three physiological states: baseline, ischemia, and post-reperfusion.

Key findings

  • The algorithm reproduced invasive left ventricular pressure measurements with 98.5% waveform agreement and a mean absolute error of 1.5 mmHg.

  • It accurately tracked LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR), key indicators of cardiac function and oxygen balance (r = 0.91 and r = 0.96, respectively).

  • Results showed the expected LVEDP rise and SEVR drop during coronary occlusion, followed by partial recovery after reperfusion.

  • The method demonstrated robust accuracy across all physiological states with near-perfect waveform alignment.

“This approach allows us to reconstruct left ventricular pressure entirely from non-invasive data — a step toward transforming how cardiac function is assessed in outpatient and at-home settings,” said Dr. Kloner, Chief Scientific Officer at HMRI.

The study highlights the potential of this physics-based analytical algorithm to integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows, enhancing the precision of echocardiographic assessments and supporting continuous monitoring in patients with heart failure or ischemic heart disease.

Full article: European Heart Journal – Imaging Methods and Practice, 2025