Effect of respiratory protection equipments wear on heart rate in different workload

 This study was done to evaluate the effect of three kinds of respiratory protective equipments (RPE) on the heart rate in light, moderate and heavy workload. 

 This study was performed on eleven healthy university students (male) under controlled thermal conditions in a climatic chamber. The mean (SD) of age, height and body mass index (BMI) were 24.1 (2.34) years, 172 (4.2) cm and 22.4 (1.1) Kg/m2, respectively. Subjects were participated in the four intermittent exercises experiments (without RPE, valve, half-face and full-face) on a treadmill in light, moderate and heavy workload. Duration of light, moderate and heavy activities was 30, 30 and 20 min, respectively. Heart rate was recorded every 5 min. 

 The mean of heart rate in 11 subjects for without RPE trial in light, moderate and high workload was 93.5±13.1, 109.7±18.1 and 119.6±25.8 beats per min (bpm), for valve RPE was 102.8±9.7, 116.7±16.0 and 132.1±23.2 bpm, for half-face RPE was 102.4±11.42, 117.3±15.8 and 132.0±23.1 bpm and for full-face RPE was 109.3±14.7, 125±17.4 and 140.1±23.1 bpm, respectively. In three work load, significant differences between the mean of heart rate by using three kinds of RPE trials showed with without RPE trial were observed (P-value < 0.001). Also, mean of heart rate in three workload levels when using full-face RPE trial was significantly higher than valve and half-face RPE trials. In the valve and half-face RPE trials, significant differences were not detected 

 The results demonstrated that heart rate were significantly increased with wearing of three kinds of RPE. Full-face RPE have a higher effect on increasing heart rate than half-face RPE.