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The difference in blood pressure between upper arm and finger during physical exercise
J A Nijboer1, J C Dorlas, J Lubbers
1Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Clinical Physiology (Oxford, England)
|October 1, 1988
Summary
This study found that while the Finapres device accurately measures blood pressure non-invasively during exercise, finger systolic pressure may not reflect upper arm pressure during vasodilation. This highlights the importance of considering physiological changes during exercise.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Exercise Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Non-invasive blood pressure monitoring during exercise is crucial for physiological assessment.
- Continuous finger blood pressure devices (Finapres) offer a potential solution for real-time monitoring.
- Understanding the accuracy of these devices under varying physiological conditions is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the usefulness of a continuous, non-invasive finger blood pressure apparatus during exercise.
- To compare finger blood pressure measurements with simultaneous upper arm and radial artery measurements.
- To investigate the physiological mechanisms influencing blood pressure readings during exercise and recovery.
Main Methods:
- 23 volunteers underwent prolonged bicycle ergometry with continuous non-invasive finger blood pressure monitoring.
- Upper arm blood pressure was measured concurrently for comparison.
- Pulse plethysmography and Doppler measurements of radial artery flow were also recorded in subsets of participants.
Main Results:
- Finger systolic pressure plateaued around 40% of maximal exercise, diverging significantly from rising upper arm systolic pressure.
- Increased finger plethysmogram amplitude indicated cutaneous vasodilation during exercise.
- Radial artery flow showed no significant change during exercise but increased sharply during recovery, coinciding with a drop in blood pressure.
Conclusions:
- The Finapres device functions adequately during exercise, but finger systolic pressure is not always representative of central blood pressure during cutaneous vasodilation.
- Physiological responses during exercise, including vasodilation for thermoregulation, can impact the accuracy of peripheral blood pressure measurements.
- Arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) opening may contribute to the observed pressure discrepancies during exercise.