A comparison of the indirect estimate of mean arterial pressure calculated by the conventional equation and calculated to compensate for a change in heart rate.

Abstract

The standard equation used to calculate mean arterial pressure (MAP) assumes that diastole persists for 2/3 and systole for 1/3 of each cardiac cycle. This ratio is altered when heart rate increases, and therefore we investigated the efficacy of predicting MAP during exercise using non-invasive indirect methods. Eight subjects exercised on a cycle ergometer for 3 minute intervals to elicit heart rates between 100-110, 120-130, 140-150, 160-170, and 180-190 beats/min. In the last minute of each 3 min interval an ECG recording was taken and systolic (SP) and diastolic (DP) blood pressure was measured by manual auscultation. MAP was calculated for each heart rate interval by: MAP=DP+1/3(SP-DP) (method A), and MAP= DP + Fs(SP- DP) (method B), where Fs is the fraction of the cardiac cycle comprising systole, measured from the ECG. Fs increased from 0.35+/-0.049 at rest to 0.47+/-0.039 at a heart rate of 180-190 beats/min. MAP measured by method B was consistently greater than MAP calculated by method A at all heart rates greater than resting heart rate (p<0.01). The error incurred when using the standard MAP equation (method A) to derive MAP during exercise (measured as the percentage difference between method A and B) increased linearly with heart rate (r=0.98). The standard MAP equation should not be applied during exercise, as it does not account for the change in the systolic: diastolic period ratio as heart rate increases.