Assessment of Intra and Inter-Observer Variability of Peripheral Arterial Tonometry Measurements

Importance of repeatable and reproducible measurements in medicine cannot be understated [1]. In this investigation, we quantified repeatability (intra-observer variability) and reproducibility (inter-observer variability) while measuring peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) signals from finger tips of healthy subjects using piezoelectric transducers. Although numerous techniques for measuring PAT have been described in literature, the repeatability and reproducibility of these measurements, and the variability in multiple probes have not been established. We hypothesize that: (1) PAT measurements would be repeatable when measured by a single operator at each time point, (2) readings would be reproducible when measured by multiple operators, and (3) there would be minimal variation between multiple probes.