Purpose: To verify the exercise-induced hemodynamic changes in moderate hypertensive patients.
Methods: Twenty nine patients were studied and they were submitted to cycloergometer supine exercise (50w and 100w) during cardiac catheterization. The hemodynamic variables were measured: cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), systemic arterial resistance (SAR), pulmonary arterial resistance (PAR), wedge pressure (WP), right atrial pressure (RA), systolic arterial pressure (SP), diastolic arterial pressure (DP), mean arterial pressure (MP) and heart rate (HR). To evaluate the cardiac function, the patients were divided in two groups: GI with CI > 2.5 ml/min/m2 and GII CI < 2.5 ml/min/m2.
Results: During exercise, patients from GI and GII were similar-according to MAP, RA, WP, and HR. On the other hand, GI and GII exhibited different (#) behavior regarding SV, PAR and SAR. During the three exercise conditions, rest (R), 50w and 100w it was observed: a) PAR-R = 50 = 100 (GI); b) MP, PAR, WP, SV, SAR-R #50 #100 (GI); c) HR, PAR and SAR-R #50 #100 (GII). There was no correlation between the cardiac function (CI, SV) and the circulatory adjustment (PAR and SAR) or the pressure curve (SP, DP, MP) and HR.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the cardiac function of GI patients depends, mainly, on the inotropism, while in GII patients it depends on the decrease of the afterload (PAR and SAR). Those changes may appear even in the late exercise stage (100w), with a bias to attain the GI levels. Those observations suggest functional changes in vasomotor tone of GII patients.