Blood pressure measurement during aerobic exercise: subsidies for cardiac rehabilitation

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Exercise Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Current guidelines recommend controlling hemodynamic variables, including heart rate (HR), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), during supervised exercise for coronary disease patients.
• Accurate and reproducible blood pressure (BP) monitoring is crucial for managing exercise intensity and patient safety in cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the pattern and reproducibility of blood pressure (BP) during a 15-minute moderate-intensity exercise session on a cycle ergometer.
• To compare BP measurements obtained using a digital device versus a conventional mercury-column sphygmomanometer during exercise.

Main Methods:

• Thirty adults (mean age 65 years) performed 15 minutes of lower-limb cycle ergometry.
• Blood pressure was measured every 2 minutes from the 3rd to the 13th minute using a digital sphygmomanometer (Tango device).
• A mercury-column sphygmomanometer was used at the 14th minute; reproducibility was assessed by repeating measurements in six individuals after 7 days.

Main Results:

• Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) increased from the 3rd to 7th minute and then stabilized, while diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) remained constant throughout.
• Digital and conventional BP measurements showed strong correlations (r=0.83 for SAP, r=0.84 for DAP).
• No significant differences were found for SAP between devices, and a small, clinically acceptable difference was noted for DAP.

Conclusions:

• For moderate-intensity, 15-minute cycle ergometer exercise, BP measurements should be taken from the 7-minute mark onwards.
• The digital Tango sphygmomanometer provides clinically comparable and reproducible BP measurements to the conventional mercury-column device.