Proper measurement of blood pressure and heart rate in SHRSP and WKY by an indirect volume-oscillometric method.

1. The effect of environmental temperature on the indirect measurement of rat blood pressure and heart rate was investigated with special reference to the tail arterial blood flow in both strains of SHRSP and WKY. 2. Very good correlations (r > 0.82, P < 0.05; t-test, 10 d.f.) were observed between the two values of systolic blood pressure or heart rate measured by a direct and an indirect method at environmental temperatures between 26 and 38 degrees C in SHRSP, and 34 and 38 degrees C in WKY, respectively. 3. When the temperature was elevated by 10 degrees C from 25 degrees C to 35 degrees C, the regional blood flow in the tail artery increased by 52-69%, sufficient to detect a blood flow increase by the indirect method. 4. These data showed that the best way to measure the accurate blood pressure and heart rate in both strains of SHRSP and WKY by the indirect volume-oscillometric method was to hold the rats at 34-36 degrees C for 5 min.