Advancing Arterial Health: Cardiex’s Highlights from NAA 2024 

Building on the momentum from our dynamic start to the trade show season at the ACSM Annual Meeting in late May, the Cardiex team attended the North American Artery (NAA) Conference in Aurora, Colorado, from June 14 to 15. For over 20 years, NAA has focused on advancing arterial mechanics through education, standardization, and innovative research. 

This year’s event, held in partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, brought together over 100 leaders in arterial stiffness research to explore the latest advancements in cardiovascular care and enhance our understanding of arterial health. By convening top experts annually, NAA is continuously improving the methods for measuring and understanding arterial health. 

A noteworthy example of this collaborative effort was a research project on exercise and reservoir pressure, which involved researchers from Syracuse University, the University of Iowa, and Columbia University. This study, utilizing SphygmoCor XCEL technology, discovered that moderate exercise reduces reservoir pressure without altering excess pressure. 

Two prominent themes from the conference were the impact of sleep—or the lack thereof—on increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness, and the differences in blood pressure based on gender. Cardiex contribution to this research was apparent throughout the show, as many posters and lectures were based on studies using the XCEL or Oscar 2 devices. For instance, a study from the University of Florida demonstrated that gender, rather than age, had the greatest influence on HIIT’s impact on arterial stiffness. 

“NAA represents the cutting edge of cardiovascular research and how arterial health can be further incorporated into clinical medicine, said Cardiex Chief Clinical Officer Sanjeev Bhavnani, MD FACC, speaking about the event’s significance.  “From bench-to-bedside and new clinical trial designs, NAA paves the path forward for novel innovations and therapeutic applications that include digital health technologies, artificial intelligence, and precision medicine to better understand how to prevent vascular disease.” 

Cardiex’s presence at this event underscored our commitment to leveraging digital vascular biomarkers to enhance patient outcomes and advance the field of arterial health by offering attendees complimentary arterial health assessments. They were eager to experience our innovative suite of FDA-cleared products, including the SphygmoCor XCEL, the Oscar 2 Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor, and the soon-to-be-released CONNEQT Pulse digital vascular biomarker monitor. These devices are essential for comprehensive arterial health assessments, providing critical data for clinical trials, patient care, and research. 

A highlight of our time at the NAA Conference was on Saturday, June 15, when Cardiex Chief Strategy Officer Catherine Liao announced the winners of the Cardiex Arterial Research Initiative. This initiative aims to identify and support groundbreaking research in arterial stiffness and vascular health. You can read more about the winners and their impactful research on the Cardiex blog. 

We’re eager to see what these brilliant researchers will discover and share with us next year. Stay tuned to our Events & Tradeshows page and follow us on social media for updates and to connect with our team at upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter for the latest updates and insights.