Blood Pressure Response and Pulse Arrival Time During Exercise Testing in Well-Trained Individuals

Introduction: There is a lack of data describing the blood pressure response (BPR) in welltrained individuals. In addition, continuous bio-signal measurements are increasingly investigated to overcome the limitations of intermittent cuff-based BP measurements during exercise testing. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the BPR in well-trained individuals during a cycle ergometer test with a particular focus on the systolic BP (SBP) and to investigate pulse arrival time (PAT) as a continuous surrogate for SBP during exercise testing. Materials and Methods: Eighteen well-trained male cyclists were included (32.4 +/- 9.4 years; maximal oxygen uptake 63 +/- 10 ml/min/kg) and performed a stepwise lactate threshold test with 5-minute stages, followed by a continuous test to voluntary exhaustion with 1-min increments when cycling on an ergometer. BP was measured with a standard automated exercise BP cuff. PAT was measured continuously with a noninvasive physiological measurements device (IsenseU) and metabolic consumption was measured continuously during both tests. Results: At lactate threshold (281 +/- 56 W) and maximal intensity test (403 +/- 61 W), SBP increased from resting values of 136 +/- 9 mmHg to maximal values of 219 +/- 21 mmHg and 231 +/- 18 mmHg, respectively. Linear within-participant regression lines between PAT and SBP showed a mean r(2) of 0.81 +/- 17. Conclusion: In the present study focusing on the BPR in well-trained individuals, we observed a more exaggerated systolic BPR than in comparable recent studies. Future research should follow up on these findings to clarify the clinical implications of the high BPR in well-trained individuals. In addition, PAT showed strong intra-individual associations, indicating potential use as a surrogate SBP measurement during exercise testing.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess blood pressure response in well-trained individuals during a cycle ergometer test, with a focus on systolic BP. Results showed an exaggerated systolic blood pressure increase compared to previous studies, while pulse arrival time demonstrated strong intra-individual associations and potential as a surrogate SBP measurement during exercise testing. Future research should further investigate the clinical implications of high blood pressure response in well-trained individuals.