title: Doppler-derived aortic flow measurements during and after heavy isometric exercise in healthy men versus men with myocardial infarction.
abstract: Doppler echocardiography is a useful noninvasive determination of left ventricular function during dynamic exercise. Scarce data are available for the use of this technique during heavy isometric exercise. Therefore, Doppler-derived aortic flow indexes were assessed during and after 50% maximal upper-body isometric exercise in 25 healthy men (aged 47 +/- 6 years) and compared with those of 22 men (aged 48 +/- 9 years) who had suffered myocardial infarction. The heart rate increased (p = 0.01) in each of the groups from a mean of 68 +/- 12 at rest to 84 +/- 11 during isometric exercise. At rest, systolic blood pressure was higher (p = 0.05) in the patients with coronary artery disease. During exercise, the patients with cardiac disease, compared with the healthy volunteers, demonstrated a lesser reduction in flow velocity integral, stroke volume, and cardiac indexes (p = 0.001). Immediately on recovery, the patients with cardiac disease, compared with the healthy group, showed significantly greater (p = 0.001) increase in stroke volume and cardiac indexes. At 3 minute's recovery, the stroke volume index continued to increase in the patients with cardiac disease, while the healthy group showed a decrease to below its resting value. Although 50% of maximal upper-body isometric exercise caused similar heart rate and systolic blood pressure responses in healthy patients and patients with cardiac disease, there were significant group differences in Doppler-derived left ventricular systolic function indexes, which were greatest on immediate and 3 minute's recovery. The results suggest that this novel isometric test may be useful in clinical testing.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Rehabilitation Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Ari
authors.forename: E Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Fisman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stroh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pines
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dory
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motro
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kellermann
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013318:Stroke Volume