Impact of leg heating on central hemodynamics in postmenopausal women

Background: The determinants responsible for increasing central pressure augmentation, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, remain highly controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of the impedance mismatch between central and leg arteries on central pressure augmentation. Thus, we investigated whether central pressure augmentation is influenced by manipulation of central-to-leg arterial stiffness mismatch by an acute leg heating. Methods: Nineteen postmenopausal women underwent the warmth stimulation on both lower legs (20 min of exposure to far infra-red radiation at 43–45 °C followed by retaining warmth by a blanket for 30 min). Central (aortic) hemodynamic measures were obtained from applanation tonometrically-radial arterial pressure waveforms via the validated general transfer function. Results: The leg heating decreased only the leg pulse wave velocity. And thus, the central-to-leg arterial stiffness was changed from positive to negative; however, any central (aortic) hemodynamic measures including reflected wave amplitude, aortic blood pressure, and augmentation index, were not changed significantly. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the acute bout of leg heating induces the less of central-to-leg arterial stiffness mismatch but not influence central pressure augmentation in postmenopausal women.