Current Research
The Centre for Cardiovascular Diagnostics conducts research into two main areas:
Cardiovascular Diagnostics
Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of mortality in the developed world. In New Zealand (NZ), they are the leading cause of death and result in over 40% of all deaths. These diseases result in a net hospitalisation and medication cost in excess of $935 million p. a. The impact of these diseases on NZ is demonstrated by the fact that five out of the thirteen principal objectives of the NZ Health Strategy can be related to the reduction of the impact and severity of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. For the attainment of the NZ government’s long-term community health goals as outlined in the NZ Health Strategy, it is imperative that individuals with high cardiovascular risk are identified early so that they can be treated successfully.
The Institute of Biomedical Technologies collaborates with industry to develop technology platforms that permit non-invasive identification of structural changes in the physiological tissues caused by different cardiovascular diseases.
The research carried out within this group can be categorised into two areas:
- Blood pressure and flow estimation
There is growing evidence that the structural changes in the systemic arteries caused by several cardiovascular diseases result in amplification of blood pressure. Coupled with amplification of blood pressure in diseased conditions, there is reduction in blood flow to organs which is a major cause of myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and renal failure.
Research within the institute is aimed at applying advanced engineering techniques such as computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis and neuro-fuzzy techniques to permit accurate estimation of both brachial and central blood pressures and cardiac output.
Some of the projects running within the institute are:
- Development of a specialised non-invasive blood pressure measurement algorithm
- Development of a mathematical model of pressure propagation in the human arterial tree
- Ambulatory blood pressure measurement with motion tolerance
- Non-invasive estimation of central blood pressure and cardiac output
IBTec works in conjunction with researchers from Pulsecor Ltd., a NZ-based company specialising in non-invasive cardiovascular performance assessment technology.
- Heart valve health monitoring
Valvular regurgitation severely impacts cardiac output. A new research avenue has been established to investigate the potential of developing a new non-contact in vitro method for the stiffness assessment of moving bio-prosthetic heart valves. Staff in this research venue are working in conjunction with researchers from Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California.
Imaging and Signal Processing
The Imaging and signal processing group is interested in multimodality medical imaging as applied to medical diagnosis, Wireless telemedicine systems, and Biosignal processing (for example: ECG, EMG). The group maintains close academic ties with the school of engineering and other schools and institutes within the university as well as other local and international organizations to facilitate relevant postgraduate programs.
Students considering pursuing a graduate degree in the area of medical imaging & signal processing are encouraged to contact the group leader for more information on research at IBTec.
- Medical imaging
The group is involved in a medical imaging project in collaboration with the 
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. The project is aimed at combining Vibro-acoustography and X-ray for diagnosing breast cancer at an early stage.
- Patient monitoring
The group’s research is aimed at intelligent monitoring of critical pathological events during anaesthesia as well as home based monitoring.