Cardiac output and heart rate in man during simulated swimming while breath-holding

We measured stroke volume (SV), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (Q), arterial pressure and intrapulmonic (mouth) pressure in four healthy, male subjects during simulated swimming (i.e., performing crawl movements with the legs continuously at a constant rhythm) with and without apnea (water temperature: 31 degrees C). We wanted to see whether the exercise tachycardia response persisted, or whether the HR decreased during apnea, just as in the "diving response" of diving animals. The SV and the Q fell to half its value in the control phase (i.e., swimming with normal breathing), when the 15-s apnea was performed at a high mouth-pressure; at low mouth-pressure, SV and Q hardly changed. These results are replicates of our previous findings in man during rest in air. Due to the light work, HR increased slightly from rest, but the exercise HR did not change much during apnea with or without high mouth-pressure. The results show that man tends to preserve his exercise HR response, and does not react as an oxygen-conserving animal, whether he is in air or in water under these conditions. However, man, as well as diving animals, may well have a "diving response" as an emergency reaction, which may not be restricted to only the water environment.