Reliability of oscillometric central blood pressure responses to submaximal exercise

Abstract

Central blood pressure responses to exercise may provide clinicians with a superior diagnostic and prognostic tool. However, in order to be of value in a clinical setting these assessments must be simple to conduct and reliable. Objective: Using oscillometric pulse wave analysis (PWA), determine the upper limit for between-day reliability of central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and central pressure augmentation (AIx) responses to three progressive stages of submaximal exercise in cohort of young, healthy participants. Methods: Fifteen healthy males (25.8 y (SD 5.7), 23.9 kg/m2 (SD 2.5)) were tested on 3 different mornings in a fasted state, separated by a maximum of 14 days. Central hemodynamic variables were assessed on the left arm. Participants underwent three progressive stages of submaximal cycling at 50W (low), 100W (moderate) and 150W (moderate-hard). Results: During low- and moderate-intensity exercise the ICC values for cSBP (0.79-0.80) and AIx (0.81-0.85) indicated excellent reliability (ICC >0.75). For the moderate-hard intensity AIx could not be computed, and the ICC for cSBP was adequate (0.72). Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that, at least in a young health cohort, oscillometric PWA can be used to reliably assess central blood pressure measurements during exercise, up to a moderate intensity. While further work is required to verify these findings in clinical cohorts, these measurements may potentially provide clinicians with a practical option for obtaining important hemodynamic information beyond that provided by resting peripheral blood pressure.

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ORCID for D. Lambrick: orcid.org/0000-0002-0325-6015

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