Venous Pressure and Cutaneous Reactive Hyperemia in Exhausting Exercise and Certain Other Circulatory Stresses

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Abstract
Peripheral venous pressure and cutaneous reactive hyperemia were studied in the relaxed forearms of healthy male subjects exercising to exhaustion on the treadmill. The changes in cutaneous circulation during exercise were compared with those occurring during less acute or chronic types of cardiovascular stress: (a) tilting to +70[degree] for 30 min., (b) venous congestion of 3 extremities, and (c) chronic congestive failure in patients. During walking at rates of 1.5 to 3 m.p.h. on the level, venous pressure remained approx. constant. Venous pressure rose by an avg. of 30 mm. H2O during walking at 3 m.p.h. and 5[degree] grade, 73 mm. H2O at 3 m.p.h. and 10[degree] grade, and 91 mm. H2O during a 2d bout at the latter grade. The elevation of venous pressure was related to work intensity and also to the total amt. of work done. The duration of local vascular occlusion required to produce a clearly visible ring of reactive hyperemia in the skin of the elevated forearm remained within normal limits until moderate exercise was performed. Threshold increased by avgs. of 58, 84, and. 168%, respectively, at the end of moderate, severe and exhausting exercise. This indicates that in severe exercise, as exhaustion approaches, the cutaneous vessels constrict markedly. Tilting to +70[degree] and, in recumbent subjects, venous congestion of 3 extremities produced much less striking changes in cutaneous reactive hyperemia. Threshold and clearing times were elevated only in some subjects and to a much smaller degree than in exercise. Cutaneous reactive hyperemia was normal in 12 resting patients hospitalized for chronic congestive failure despite the fact that 6 of the patients were dyspneic at rest, 1 was recovering from pulmonary edema, and the others were dyspneic with slight exertion. A close correlation was noted between (a) venous pressure and heart rate during exercise and (b) venous pressure and respiratory minute vol. during exercise.