Heart Rate Dependence of Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity at Different Arterial Pressures in Rats

• DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.112.194225
• Publication Date: 2012-05-15T06:17:52Z
• Authors: Isabella Tan; Mark Butlin; Ying Yi Liu; Keith Ng; Alberto P. Avolio
• Keywords: Pulse pressure

Arterial stiffness, as measured by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), is an independent marker of cardiovascular disease and events in both healthy diseased populations. Although some risk factors, such age blood pressure, show a strong association with PWV, the between heart rate (HR) PWV not firmly established. Furthermore, this has been investigated at different arterial pressures. To study effects HR on mean pressures (MAPs), adult (12 weeks; n=7), male, anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly paced HRs 300 450 bpm, 50-bpm steps. At each pacing step, was across physiological MAP range 60 to 150 mmHg infusing sodium nitroprusside phenylephrine. When compared same MAP, increases resulted significant all MAPs >80 (ANOVA, P <0.05), greatest change 6.03±0.93% observed 110 130 mmHg. The positive remained when adjusted for <0.001). These results indicate that dependency higher than lower may be confounding factor should taken into consideration performing analysis based measurements.