Blood Pressure

1
Blood Pressure
2
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure -
the pressure that the blood exerts against the
arteries
Systolic pressure pressure while ventricles are
contracting (120 mm Hg)
Diastolic pressure pressure while ventricles
are relaxed (80 mm Hg)
Commonly reported as systolic over diastolic.
e.g. 120/80 normal blood pressure
Factors affecting blood pressure

• Cardiac output (SV HR)

• Peripheral resistance

• Blood volume

• Blood viscosity

Blood Pressure
3
Blood Pressure Questions

• What is hypertension?

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood
pressure. It is an adult blood pressure of
greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg/90 mm Hg.
2. What are some risk factors that cause high
blood pressure?
Rick factors kidney disease, obesity, heavy
drinking, oral contraceptives, diabetes, high
sodium diet, inactivity, smoking
3. Distinguish the difference between systolic,
diastolic and pulse pressure.
Systolic Pressure - pressure in the arteries
created when the heart is beating
Diastolic Pressure - pressure in the arteries
created when the heart is resting between beats
Pulse Pressure difference between systolic and
diastolic pressure
Blood Pressure
4
Blood Pressure Questions
4. Account for an increase in systolic pressure
during exercise.
There is an increase in systolic pressure during
exercise because Q increases with increased rate
of work to satisfy the greater demand for O2 and
nutrients in tissues and organs (Note the same
is not true for diatolic pressure that shows
little increase during exercise).
5. What happens to systolic pressure during
steady state exercise?
Blood pressure reaches a steady state during
sub-maximal steady state exercise. If prolonged,
systolic pressure might decreases gradually
(diastole stays basically the same), due to
arterial dilation in active muscles which
decreases total peripheral resistance.
Blood Pressure
5
Blood Pressure Questions
6. What is the Valsalva maneuvre? What happens
to blood pressure?
Valsalva maneuvre commonly occurs during high
intensity exercise when a person tries to exhale
while the mouth, nose and glottis are closed.
This causes an enormous increase in intrathoracic
pressure. The body responds by raising blood
pressure to try overcome the high internal
pressure.
7. Compare blood pressure response during
exercise between upper and lower body.
Exercises involving the upper body causes a
greater increases in blood pressure due to the
smaller muscle mass and vasculature of the upper
body compared to that of the lower body.
Blood Pressure