Guest Editorial Unobtrusive Assessment of the Mechanical Aspects of Cardiovascular Function

The papers in this special section aim to present advances in the technologies for assessing the mechanical cardiovascular function outside of clinical settings. There is a compelling need for unobtrusive cardiovascular monitoring in extra-clinical settings that remains unfulfilled by current technologies. As the population of patients burdened with chronic cardiovascular dysfunction, such as heart failure, continues to grow, we should find solutions 1) to obtain an efficient surveillance of the patient???s health status in daily life, 2) to enable physicians to tailor therapy and rehabilitation programs on the basis of the real patient reaction to the everyday challenges, and 3) to expand our understanding of cardiovascular pathophysiology during spontaneous behavior. In clinics some of the most important parameters of cardiovascular performance that physicians consider are related to the mechanical aspects of cardiovascular function.However, current technology, often by ultrasound measures, does not facilitate the unobtrusive assessment of cardiovascular mechanics at home or during outdoor activities.