 The pressure exerted from the contraction of the heart creates a wave form, which travels down the individuals arterial trunk to all parts of the body. The velocity speed at which this wave form travels can serve as an indicator of the degree of arterial stiffness. The faster the speed of travel of the pulse wave the stiffer the arteries. It has been demonstrated in other studies that the contour shape of the waveform can be affected by the pulse wave velocity and that analysis of this shape is an acceptable surrogate for determining the pulse wave velocity and ultimately determining the severity of arterial stiffness. This method of analysing the contour of the pulse wave to determine the severity of arterial stiffness is called pulse wave analysis PWA. 