Abstract
BACKGROUND: The acute impact of tobacco smoking on the cardiac hemodynamic parameters and its pathological implication in the process of arterial atherosclerosis need further exploration. This investigation was purposed to assess the acute impact of tobacco smoke on blood pressure and cardiac hemodynamic parameters. METHODS: Using an Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor, and DINAMAP Pro 400 Series V2 blood pressure monitor, several cardiac hemodynamic parameters and the blood pressure were assessed in 14 smokers, 11 females and 3 males, at 2 time points, before and after smoking of one cigarette. Data, in terms of ratio of the means and 95% confidence interval were analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: Single-subject design in which the subject has served as his/her own control has been used. Tobacco smoking led to statistically significant acute increase in the means of all hemodynamic parameters, except for heart rate in female subjects, as compared to the means obtained before smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking induces acute non-physiologic alteration in cardiac outflow forces, exposing the aortic valve and arch to mechanical injury that might be implicated in initiating and promoting the process of aortic arch atherosclerosis and associated pathological lesions.