This rate pressure product calculator determines the myocardial workload and describes the hemodynamic response based on heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Below the form there is more information on the RPP and hemodynamic response.
How does the rate pressure product calculator work?
This health tool computes the RPP based on the maximum heart rate and the maximum systolic blood pressure. The rate pressure product offers information on the myocardial workload during the physiology of exercise.
It is calculated as maximum heart rate multiplied by systolic blood pressure, where:
■ Maximum heart rate – measured in beats per minute. The normal range is between 60 and 90 bpm and depends on individual factors such as gender, age, body size, the existence of any heart conditions, etc.
■ Maximum systolic blood pressure – measured in mmHg. The normal range is between 100 and 140 mmHg.
The RPP shows how much stress is put on the cardiac muscle given the number of beats per minute and the arterial (systolic) pressure it needs to pump against.
The formula used by the rate pressure product calculator is the following:
Rate Pressure Product = Maximum heart rate x Maximum systolic blood pressure
The RPP can be used to describe the hemodynamic response based on the below intervals:
| RPP | Hemodynamic response |
| >30,000 | High |
| 25,000 – 30,000 | High intermediate |
| 20,000 – 25,000 | Intermediate |
| 15,000 – 20,000 | Low intermediate |
| <15,000 | Low |
The rate pressure product is usually measured at rest and then with the patient engaged in various stages of exercise. For each determination, both the heart rate and systolic pressure will be registered.
In some cases, clinicians will use the target heart rate, also known as the exercise target zone as the reference point for calculating a safe RPP.
Some consider the RPP as an index for myocardial oxygen consumption, similar to the MVO2. One of the ways to measure the vascular response is through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Hemodynamic response to exercise
The circulatory system reacts to exercise in different ways, for example with increases in heart rate. Regular exercise transforms the hemodynamic response in a more efficient one. It allows the cardiac fibers to thicken and strengthen thus improving oxygen utilization. The heart reacts like this because of the higher requirements during exercise, such as having to circulate a greater quantity of blood than during rest.
There are other variables that can be used to define the hemodynamic efficiency of the heart, such as stroke volume, which represents the amount of blood pumped during each contraction. This amount, multiplied by the number of contractions per minute, determines the cardiac output.
Beside this, during exercise, the hemodynamic response also impacts the muscles, in a positive way because it supports the contraction and relaxation through the glucose levels in the bloodstream.
References
1) Ansari M, Javadi H, Pourbehi M, Mogharrabi M, Rayzan M, Semnani S, Jallalat S, Amini A, Abbaszadeh M, Barekat M, Nabipour I, Assadi M. (2012) The association of rate pressure product (RPP) and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) findings: a preliminary study. Perfusion; 27(3):207-13.
2) Lindquist MA, Loh JM, Atlas LY, Wager TD. (2009) Modeling the Hemodynamic Response Function in fMRI: Efficiency, Bias and Mis-modeling. Neuroimage; 45(1 Suppl): S187–S198.
3) Amery A, Julius S, Whitlock LS, Conway J. Influence of Hypertension on the Hemodynamic Response to Exercise. Circ.aha.journals. 36(2).
09 Dec, 2016