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Anterograde and retrograde blood velocity profiles in the intact human cardiovascular system
Author(s) -
Ade C. J.,
Broxterman R. M.,
Wong B. J.,
Barstow T. J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0958-0670
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.2011.064212
Subject(s) - blood flow , cold pressor test , brachial artery , anatomy , hemodynamics , cardiology , medicine , heart rate , blood pressure
Current assessments of the effects of shear patterns on vascular function assume that a parabolic velocity profile is always present. Any substantial deviation in the profile away from this may result in misinterpretation of the importance that shear patterns have on vascular function. The present investigation tested the hypothesis that anterograde and retrograde blood flow would have a parabolic velocity profile at rest, during cold pressor test and exercise. Eight healthy subjects completed a cold pressor test and a graded knee‐extension exercise test. Doppler ultrasound was used to determine time‐averaged mean velocity ( V mean ) and time‐averaged peak velocity ( V peak ) for both anterograde and retrograde flow in the femoral artery (FA) and brachial artery (BA). The V mean / V peak ratio was used to interpret the shape of the blood velocity profile (parabolic, V mean / V peak = 0.5; plug‐like, V mean / V peak = 1.0). At rest, BA and FA V mean / V peak ratios of anterograde and retrograde flow were not significantly different from 0.5. During cold pressor test, anterograde V mean / V peak in the BA (0.56 ± 0.02) and FA (0.58 ± 0.03) were significantly greater than 0.5. During peak exercise, the V mean / V peak ratio of anterograde flow in the FA (0.53 ± 0.04) was not significantly different from 0.5. In all conditions, the retrograde V mean / V peak ratio was lower than anterograde. These data demonstrate that blood flow through two different conduit arteries during two different physiological stressors maintains a velocity profile that resembles a slightly blunted parabolic velocity profile.