Change in spontaneous baroreflex control of pulse interval during heat stress in humans

Spontaneous baroreflex control of pulse interval (PI) was assessed in healthy volunteers under thermoneutral and heat stress conditions. Subjects rested in the supine position with their lower legs in a water bath at 34°C. Heat stress was imposed by increasing the bath temperature to 44°C. Arterial blood pressure (Finapres), PI (ECG), esophageal and skin temperature, and stroke volume were continuously collected during each 5-min experimental stage. Spontaneous baroreflex function was evaluated by multiple techniques, including 1) the mean slope of the linear relationship between PI and systolic blood pressure (SBP) with three or more simultaneous increasing or decreasing sequences, 2) the linear relationship between changes in PI and SBP (ΔPI/ΔSBP) derived by using the first differential equation, 3) the linear relationship between changes in PI and SBP with simultaneously increasing or decreasing sequences (+ΔPI/+ΔSBP or -ΔPI/-ΔSBP), and 4) transfer function analysis. Heat stress increased esophageal temperature by 0.6 ± 0.1°C, decreased PI from 1,007 ± 43 to 776 ± 37 ms and stroke volume by 16 ± 5 ml/beat. Heat stress reduced baroreflex sensitivity but increased the incidence of baroreflex slopes from 5.2 ± 0.8 to 8.6 ± 0.9 sequences per 100 heartbeats. Baroreflex sensitivity was significantly correlated with PI or vagal power ( r2 = 0.45, r2 = 0.71, respectively; P < 0.05). However, the attenuation in baroreflex sensitivity during heat stress appeared related to a shift in autonomic balance (shift in resting PI) rather than heat stress per se.