Blood Pressure Responses to Different Exercise Modalities in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Ting Teng, Chueh-Hung Wu, Meng-Yueh Chien, Shu-Feng Hsiao, Che-Hsuan Lin, Chang-Hsun Chiang
Purpose:

This study therefore aims to (1) compare blood pressure and heart rate responses between treadmill exercise or stationary bicycle training at the same target heart rate in CAD patients; and (2) evaluate the effects of 12-session exercise training on these responses.

Methods:

This crossover trial study involved CAD patients referred for phase II cardiac rehabilitation exercise training. After familiarization with both the stationary bicycle and treadmill through at least three training sessions, participants performed exercise tests on each modality in a randomized order. Each session involved exercising to a personalized target heart rate for 10 minutes, with blood pressure measured at the end of each session. Participants rested until their heart rate returned to baseline before repeating the test on the alternate exercise modality. Testing was repeated after a minimum of 12 cardiac rehabilitation sessions.

Results:

The study included 18 male CAD patients with an average age of 54.84±8.53 years. There was no significant difference in heart rate between the stationary bicycle and treadmill (110.55±12.69 bpm vs. 110.15±13.32 bpm, p=0.38), whereas systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly higher during exercise on the stationary bicycle compared to the SBP using the treadmill (150.20±17.96 mmHg vs. 134.50±14.01 mmHg, p0.01). After 12 sessions of exercise training, SBP remained significantly higher on the stationary bicycle as comparing to the responses after treadmill training (150.53±16.99 mmHg vs. 132.71±10.83 mmHg, p0.01), indicating that the difference of SBP between two modes of exercise modalities persisted during the 12 sessions of exercise period.

Conclusion(s):

SBP is higher during exercise on a stationary bicycle compared to a treadmill at the same personalized target heart rate in CAD patients.

Implications:

CAD patients with elevated SBP might prefer treadmill exercise over stationary bicycle exercise to avoid exaggerated blood pressure responses. Future studies should consider a longer duration of training to better investigate the effects on exercise-induced blood pressure responses.

Funding acknowledgements:
National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Taiwan
Keywords:
Blood pressure
Cardiac rehabilitation
Coronary artery disease
Primary topic:
Cardiorespiratory
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Research Ethic Section, National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Taiwan
Provide the ethics approval number:
201807117RIND
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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