Left ventricular responses during prolonged treadmill walking with heavy load carriage

Abstract

This study examined with metabolic cart and echo-Doppler the influence of different load carriage during 4 h of treadmill walking on left ventricular systolic function, hemodynamics, and cardiovascular responses. Twenty-six aerobically well-trained male subjects (VO2max = 65.2 +/- 5 ml.kg-1.min-1) volunteered for this study. Subjects carried a load of 38 kg during one session and a load of 50 kg during the other session. Following the 4-h exercise in each session, significant (P < 0.05) differences were noted between the 38-kg and 50-kg workloads with regard to VO2: 14.4 +/- 2 and 19 +/- 5 ml.kg-1.min-1; heart rate: 104 +/- 14 and 125 +/- 17 beats.min-1; diastolic blood pressure: 69 +/- 4 and 79 +/- 4 mm Hg; and rate pressure product 140.4 +/- 15 and 173.8 +/- 20 index.10(-2), respectively. No significant differences were noted between the workloads in regard to systolic blood pressure, perceived exertion rating, and aortic valve Doppler indices. We concluded that during prolonged treadmill walking in well-trained young subjects, the additional load above 50% up to 66% of body weight did not change the steady state of left ventricular systolic function, hemodynamics, and cardiovascular responses throughout the course of the 240 min of effort.