Cardiovascular Regulation During Apnea in Elite Divers

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Tex. 1979), 2009-04, Vol.53 (4), p.719-724
• Main Authors: Heusser, Karsten, Dzamonja, Gordan, Tank, Jens, Palada, Ivan, Valic, Zoran, Bakovic, Darija, Obad, Ante, Ivancev, Vladimir, Breskovic, Toni, Diedrich, André, Joyner, Michael J, Luft, Friedrich C, Jordan, Jens, Dujic, Zeljko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Apnea - physiopathology; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Baroreflex - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Diving - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart Rate - physiology; Hemodynamics. Rheology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Oximetry; Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology; Vascular Resistance - physiology; Vasoconstriction - physiology; Vertebrates: cardiovascular system
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.127530

Involuntary apnea during sleep elicits sustained arterial hypertension through sympathetic activation; however, little is known about voluntary apnea, particularly in elite athletes. Their physiological adjustments are largely unknown. We measured blood pressure, heart rate, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, muscle sympathetic nerve activity, and vascular resistance before and during maximal end-inspiratory breath holds in 20 elite divers and in 15 matched control subjects. At baseline, arterial pressure and heart rate were similar in both groups. Maximal apnea time was longer in divers (1.7±0.4 versus 3.9±1.1 minutes; P