FIG. 1. Electrocardiogram and arterial pulse of a patient TABLE 1. THE RELATIONSHIP OF “CUN,” “GUAN,” AND “CHI” WITH ORGANS ical condition according to the sequence of the patient pulse waveforms.** This sequence of pulse waveforms is called pulse image. Pulse image contains the information about po- sition, strength, trend, tensity, shape, width, and variation of the rhythm. From pulse image, physicians can deduce whether the pulse is floating or sinking, excess or deficiency, large or small, tense or tender, fast or slow, etc.” S.Z. Li (1518-1593 AD), a giant in Chinese medicine, clinically used 27 kinds of pulse patterns in TCPD.° These 27 pulse patterns are classified according to their shapes, widths, po- sitions, strengths, trends, rhythmic variations, etc. FIG. 2. Location of the inch opening (Cunkou) The pulse diagnoses in TCM and Western medicine ar quite different. According to TCPD, physicians should ex ert different strengths on vessels to feel the pulse at differ ent levels. The physician is to palpate the pulse in slight moderate, and heavy strengths, and judge the patient’s phys TABLE 2. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CHINESE PULSE DIAGNosiIs (TCPD) AND PULSE DIAGNOsIS OF WESTERN MEDICINE (Xian Mai), tympanic (Ge Mai), firm (Lao Mai), soggy (Ru Mai), weak (Ruo Mai), scattered (San Mai), thready (Xi Mai), hidden (Fu Mai), bouncing (Dong Mai), running (Cu Mai), knotted (Jie Mai), and intermittent pulse (Dai Mai). As Table 3 shows, these pulse patterns are classified ac- cording to their shapes, widths, positions, strengths, trends, tensities, variations of the rhythm, etc. tinctive characteristics.!? The unsmooth pulse is caused by the internal accumulation of stagnant blood. The taut pulse is a very tense pulse, which feels like a taut lute string. The hollow pulse is empty inside, feeling like a scallion stalk. It indicates a massive loss of blood and essence. The slippery pulse is a sign of dampness, phlegm, or food stagnation. TABLE 3. TWENTY-SEVEN PULSE PATTERNS AND THEIR PROPERTIES FIG. 3. Four types of pulse detection system: (a) Y. Z. Yoon pulse detection system; (b) J. H. Laub’s pulse detection system; (c) T. C. Allen’s pulse detection system; (d) our pulse detection system In this section, we present our pulse diagnosis system as an example. Our diagnosis system comprises a set of pulse sensor, amplifier, and computer. In Figure 3(d), the sensor, named HMX-4, was made by Shanghai Medical Instrument Co. It is a strain cantilever beam transducer, which is not the same as the previous sensors used for studying Western medicine. At the center of the main pulse sensor, an array of 7 sensors for detecting pulse width is placed. What we can acquire is not only the pulse pressure waveform, but also the other information of the pulse based on the TCPD There are many kinds of pressure sensors designed for recording the pulse. Among the pressure sensors for pulse taking, electropulspgraph BYS-14 (Beijing Medical Instru- ment Plant, Beijing, China) can record 3 channels of pulse FIG. 4. Comparison of pulse waveforms acquired by different pulse sensors FIG. 5. Feature of pulse wave in time domain: (a) shape features of pulse waveform; (b) area parameters As, Ad (ascending and de- scending) FIG. 6. Original pulse and the result after baseline being cor- rected TABLE 4. COMPARISON OF 3 DIFFERENT PULSES’ HARMONICS* *AO, Al, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 indicate the direct current component, first order, second order, third order, fourth order, fifth order, and sixth order harmonics of the pulse, respectively. FIG. 8. Pulse and its short-time Fourier transforms (STFT) analysis FIG. 9. Original signal and its wavelet decompositions: in time domain and frequency domain
