Direct vs. Indirect Blood Pressure Measurement at Peak Anaerobic Exercise

The present study compared the direct intra-arterial method with the indirect conventional sphygmomanometer during all-out anaerobic exercise, in young healthy subjects. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured by intra-arterial means and by auscultation. Fourteen young healthy males (23±2 yrs) were measured at rest and during all-out anaerobic exercise. Comparisons were made with simultaneously determined intra-arterial catheter and auscultation measurements. The data suggest that indirect systolic pressure is highly correlated with the direct method at rest (r = 0.684), with mean of 107±7 and 101±6 mm Hg, respectively, and during all-out anaerobic exercise (r = 0.87), with mean of 197±11 and 191±9 mmHg, respectively. Indirect diastolic blood pressure correlates well with intra-arterial at rest (r = 0.62), with mean of 84±11 and 77±9 mmHg, respectively. However, during all-out anaerobic exercise, the correlation coefficient between the direct and the indirect methods was low (r = 0.36), with mean of 101±12 and 103±9 mmHg, respectively. These results suggest that when utilizing an all-out anaerobic exercise, the indirect method is not valid for assessment of diastolic pressure. In addition, although the anaerobic test is a dynamic type of exercise, its blood pressure responses for both direct and indirect methods were similar to those seen during isometric exercise.

Key words

Intra-arterial blood pressure - Wingate test - auscultation blood pressure - systolic blood pressure - (diastolic blood pressure