Blood pressure changes during running in humans: the "beat" phenomenon

Abstract

In 20 runners the intra-arterial blood pressure changes determined by a long-distance run and by a maximal bicycle ergometric test were recorded by means of the portable Oxford system. A peculiar pattern of the phasic waves was observed throughout the run: continuous rhythmic pulse pressure oscillations ranging in frequency between 4 and 28/min and unrelated to respiration were detected. The shape of these oscillations prompted us to investigate whether they were due to a "beat" phenomenon, that is, to the combined effect of two waves with a nearly equal frequency. To test this hypothesis, during the run 10 athletes carried a fluid-filled container around the chest. The pressure waves recorded in the container were added by computer to those recorded intra-arterially during bicycle ergometry. The resultant harmonic showed a pattern similar to that recorded in the athlete's radial artery during running. Conversely, by subtracting the pressure waves recorded in the container from those simultaneously recorded at the radial artery during running, nearly flat tracings were obtained. The source of the beat phenomenon has therefore been identified in the wave, which generates inside the aorta and the great vessels at each foot-strike shock.

Blood Pressure Responses in Young Adults First Exposed to High Altitude for 12 Months at 3550 m

“…To our knowledge there is no other large epidemiological data reported in-between. Other authors who have researched BP behavior in an acute fashion in different settings (altitude, age, and gender) to ours and in smaller groups also found an increase of both SBP and DBP that tends to normalize or lower after some days at altitude (Palatini et al, 1989;Roach et al, 1995) or does not change (Levine et al, 1997), which is not seen in the current study.…”

Left ventricular contractile performance in the early stage of hypertension in humans

“…At least 3 days after the preliminary study the subjects came to our laboratory after a light breakfast at home to exercise to exhaustion at the anaerobic threshold. A catheter was placed in the radial artery and blood pressure was recorded continuously using a Statham P 23 db pressure transducer (Palatini et al 1989). Frequent calibrations were made throughout the exercise to check the stability of the 0 level.…”

“…The exercise echocardiograms were made with the subjects active to keep the haemodynamic variables stable. Immediately before each echocardiograph evaluation an event marker was recorded and blood pressure in the following 20 s period was measured and averaged by computer using a program which allowed calculation of mean blood pressure from the whole sphygmograph pro®le (Palatini et al 1989). …”

Effects of ACE inhibition on endurance exercise haemodynamics in trained subjects with mild hypertension

“…A detailed description of the procedure has been reported elsewhere [16]. Left ventricular dimensions were monitored by M-mode echocardiography.…”

“…Intraarterial BP was analysed by computer using a method described elsewhere [16]. BP at baseline was calculated as the average in the 30 rain preceding the test.…”