Early cardiovascular sympathetic reflex activation is independent of occlusion time during reactive hyperemia

Erislandis López-Galán; Adán Andreu-Heredia; Ramón Carrazana-Escalona; Odalis Querts Méndez; Juan Carlos García Naranjo; Luis Alberto Lazo-Herrera; Gustavo Alejandro Muñoz-Bustos; Felipe Antonio Albarrán-Torres; Miguel Enrique Sanchez-Hechavarria

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.2330

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Erislandis López-Galán Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba.
Adán Andreu-Heredia Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba.
Ramón Carrazana-Escalona Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba.
Odalis Querts Méndez Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba.
Juan Carlos García Naranjo Centro de Biofísica Médica. Universidad de Oriente. Santiago de Cuba. Cuba
Luis Alberto Lazo-Herrera Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Pinar del Río. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara de la Serna. Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Gustavo Alejandro Muñoz-Bustos Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Concepción, Chile
Felipe Antonio Albarrán-Torres Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Morfología, Facultad de Medicina, Concepción, Chile
Miguel Enrique Sanchez-Hechavarria Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9461-203X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.2330

Keywords:

Reactive hyperemia, Autonomic nervous system, Photoplethysmography, Heart rate variability

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of occlusion time in dynamic changes of autonomic activation during reactive hyperemia.

Methods: Healthy subjects (n = 30) in the age range of 18–25 years participated in this study. Vascular reactivity was assessed by measuring the dynamic changes in finger pulse volume amplitude (PVA) and pulse transit time relative to the RR intervals in the test (occluded arm) and control arm (contralateral non-occluded arm) during 1, 3 and 5 minute of occlusion using two separate Photoplethysmographic sensors. Heart Rate Variability was computed from a simultaneously acquired ECG signal to monitor the dynamic changes in cardiac autonomic nervous activity. Time-varying analysis of all signals were shown every 1 second in average response graphs.

Results: Time-varying analysis of vascular and autonomic response during reactive hyperemia demonstrated the presence of a characteristic response pattern with an increase in the Sympathetic index and a decrease in Parasympathetic index at 8 to 10 seconds, an increase in heart rate at 20 seconds and a progressive increase in PVA during the first 60 seconds after occlusion regardless of the time spent in the procedure. Moreover, a decrease in pulse transits time relative to RR intervals, followed by an increase regardless of the occlusion time was evidenced.

Conclusions: Early cardiovascular sympathetic activation is independent of occlusion time during reactive hyperemia, which suggests this is a vascular autonomic reflex response involved in the generation of the physiological phenomenon of reactive hyperemia.