The Crossover Effect at Physiological Arterial Depth

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office

Advisor/Mentor

Cassidy Caffin, Dr. Morten Jensen

Committee Member

Dr. Morten Jensen (PI)

Second Committee Member

Dr. Andrew Alverson

Third Committee Member

Dr. Joshua Sakon

Fourth Committee Member

Dr. Amelia Villasenor (HCR)

Abstract

In a healthcare system where cost-effectiveness, safety, and efficiency are at the forefront, there is a critical need for improved blood volume measurement devices. A more comprehensive understanding of blood vessel interactions, such as the crossover effect, would support this need. The crossover effect proposes that arteries communicate with veins through arterial pressure waves transmitted via hydromechanical interactions. This interaction may be detected through peripheral venous pressure (PVP) waveforms. In this study, the crossover effect was analyzed using blood vessel gel phantoms, with a pulsatile artery positioned at a 6 mm depth to reflect physiological vessel depth. The following parameters were tested: normal distance (16.5 mm), narrow distance (7.4 mm), wide distance (36 mm), small veins (2 mm), large veins (5 mm), small arteries (2 mm), and large arteries (5 mm). For distance parameters, the narrow distance produced higher venous pressures than the normal distance, suggesting that as proximity increases, arterial pressure has a stronger influence on venous pressure. However, the wide distance condition produced slightly higher average pressures than the narrow condition, which may reflect vibrations from the experiment. The small vein condition displayed higher pressures than the large vein condition, and the large artery parameter produced greater venous pressures than the normal artery at normal vessel distance. All average venous waveform amplitude comparisons were statistically significant. These results support the presence of arterial to venous communication through PVP waveforms; however, the presence of outliers indicates that additional in vitro experiments are needed to confirm physiological accuracy. These findings provide a baseline for future in vivo work with patients and continued exploration of the crossover effect in clinical contexts.

Keywords

Crossover effect; Vascular physiology

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