Values derived from pressure and pulse (MAP, PP, RPP)
Mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP) and the rate pressure product (RPP) are three values the monitor derives from the systolic and diastolic pressure and the pulse rate of the same measurement.
Short answer
MAP, PP and RPP are derived from pressure and pulse, not measured. They are useful as a supplement that shows whether a result moved through pressure or through pulse; on their own they add nothing new.
What the value represents
Next to the two measured numbers the device prints three calculated ones. They are not additional measurements — they come from simple arithmetic on the pressure and pulse you already see on the sheet.
MAP is the average pressure in the arteries across the cardiac cycle. Because diastole lasts longer than systole, it is not a plain average of the two numbers; it sits closer to the lower one. PP is the difference between the upper and lower number. RPP is systolic pressure times pulse, a number that rises when either goes up.
Their practical use is contextual: they show whether a result moved through pressure or through pulse. On their own they add no information, because all three come from the same measurement.
- MAP: the average arterial pressure across the cardiac cycle, in mmHg.
- PP: the difference between the systolic and diastolic value, in mmHg.
- RPP: systolic pressure times pulse rate — a dimensionless number used in physiology as a rough indicator of the heart oxygen demand at a given load.
- None of them represents an independent measurement or standalone diagnostic information.
How the value is produced
- All three are derived, not measured. The inputs are systolic and diastolic pressure and pulse rate from the same measurement.
- PP = systolic − diastolic. On the sample sheet: 129 − 72 = 57 mmHg.
- MAP is calculated as diastolic pressure + one third of pulse pressure. On the sample sheet: 72 + 57 / 3 = 91 mmHg.
- RPP = systolic pressure × pulse rate. On the sample sheet: 129 × 87 = 11,223.
- Values marked (2) are derived from a second set of pressure and pulse measurements.
How to read the current value
- Always read them after the pressure and pulse they come from. Without those they carry no separate meaning.
- The manufacturer manual gives no reference range for these values, so they are not compared with a device threshold.
- MAP is useful for comparing two measurements where the upper and lower numbers moved differently — it sums both moves into one.
- RPP rises with both pressure and pulse. A high value after rushing to the studio therefore usually describes the situation, not the state of circulation.
How to read change over time
- A change in any of these values is derived from a change in pressure or pulse. Always check which input moved.
- A rising PP at a stable diastolic value means the systolic value went up — and vice versa.
- RPP moves fastest of the three because it multiplies two variable quantities. A one-off swing carries no message.
- A trend is worth following only where measurement conditions are comparable. Otherwise you are mostly following how you arrived.
General principles: how to read change between measurements →
What to read it with
- Blood pressure – the source of two of the three values; the derived indices are not read without it.
- Pulse rate – enters RPP and drives most of its variability.
- Your own home blood pressure records – they give the context a single studio reading lacks.
Common misunderstandings
- These are not three more measurements. They are three calculations from the same pressure and pulse, and they inherit their inaccuracy.
- Pulse pressure does not determine arterial stiffness. A relationship exists, but the difference of two numbers from one measurement is not a vascular examination.
- RPP is not a pressure. It has no mmHg unit and cannot be compared with pressure values.
- MAP is not the average of the upper and lower number. Pulse pressure enters with only one third because diastole lasts longer.
What can affect the result short term
- Everything that affects blood pressure: rest beforehand, arm position, cuff size, talking during the measurement.
- Everything that affects pulse: rushing, caffeine, nicotine, stress, heat, fever.
- In RPP the two are multiplied, so it is the most sensitive of the three to measurement conditions.
- An irregular rhythm, which already distorts the pressure and pulse inputs.
What to do next
- When you want to know what changed, start with pressure and pulse. The derived values then only confirm the direction.
- To follow a trend, keep measurement conditions identical; otherwise you are comparing two different situations.
- Take questions about the heart and vessels to a doctor, and bring a record of home blood pressure measurements rather than these derived numbers.
What the value does not determine
- These are not standalone measurements. All three come from the same pressure and pulse, so they add no independent information and inherit the inaccuracy of the original measurement.
- A single measurement diagnoses no heart or vascular condition and determines no risk.
- The InBody 970 manual states that these values are displayed from a connected monitor but gives no reference range for them. They are therefore not compared with a device threshold.
- Pulse pressure does not determine arterial stiffness or ageing. Other examinations serve that purpose, not the difference of two numbers from one measurement.
- The values change just like the pressure and pulse they come from — with time of day, posture, caffeine, exertion and the tension of being measured.
- RPP has no pressure unit and cannot be read as "pressure" or compared with values in mmHg.
On terminology
- MAP (mean arterial pressure) is the average pressure in the arteries across the cardiac cycle, in mmHg.
- PP (pulse pressure) is the difference between the systolic and diastolic value, in mmHg.
- RPP (rate pressure product) is systolic pressure times pulse rate. It is a dimensionless derived number, not a measured quantity.
- Values marked (2) are derived from a second set of pressure and pulse measurements.
When to discuss it with a professional
These numbers are on their own neither a reason for worry nor for reassurance. Symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations or repeatedly high blood pressure belong with a doctor.
In more depth, with sourcesIn more depth: what sits behind the three derived numbersExpand the detailed explanation
Mean arterial pressure expresses the average pressure in the arteries across a whole cardiac cycle. Because at resting rates diastole lasts roughly twice as long as systole, the practical estimate MAP = diastolic pressure + pulse pressure / 3 is used. It is a simplification that breaks down at high heart rates, where the ratio of the two phases changes.
Pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic value and reflects how large a pressure swing each beat produces. Physiologically it is related to the compliance of the large arteries and to stroke volume, but a value from one measurement is not a vascular examination — it is the difference of two numbers with all the uncertainty of oscillometric measurement.
The rate pressure product (RPP, sometimes double product) is used in exercise physiology as a rough indicator of myocardial oxygen demand, which rises both with rate and with the pressure the heart works against. For a single resting measurement it has no interpretation thresholds, and the InBody 970 manual gives no reference range for any of the three. On the result sheet they therefore serve as a supplementary description of the same measurement, not as a separate examination.
Sources
- InBody 970 Result Sheet Interpretation (ENG_A_211104) — InBody Co., Ltd.
- 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension — European Society of Hypertension / Journal of Hypertension
On this page
Related values
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Where to find it
Measured with the separate monitor. On the InBody 970 result sheet the values appear in the Blood pressure block at the bottom right.
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An InBody measurement is not a diagnostic tool. Results do not determine health status and do not replace a medical examination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what people ask most often about this value.
What is RPP and why is the number so large?
RPP is systolic pressure times pulse rate, for example 129 × 87 = 11,223. It is a dimensionless derived number that exercise physiology uses as a rough description of the heart oxygen demand. It is not a pressure and has no mmHg unit.
Why is MAP not the average of the upper and lower number?
Because the phases of the cardiac cycle are not equally long. At rest diastole lasts roughly twice as long as systole, so the estimate diastolic pressure + one third of pulse pressure is used. The result therefore sits closer to the lower number.
Does pulse pressure show arterial stiffness?
Not directly. A relationship with the compliance of the large arteries exists, but a value from one measurement is only the difference of two numbers with all the inaccuracy of oscillometric measurement. The state of the vessels is assessed by a doctor from other examinations.
Explanations make the most sense alongside your own trend.
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