ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Commercial parabolic flights accessible to customers with a wide range of health states will become more prevalent in the near future because of a growing private space flight sector. However, parabolic flights present the passengers' cardiovascular system with a combination of stressors, including a moderately hypobaric hypoxic ambient environment (HH) and repeated gravity transitions (GT). Thus, the aim of this study was to identify unique and combined effects of HH and GT on the human cardiovascular, pulmonary and fluid regulation systems. METHODS: Cardiac index was determined by inert gas rebreathing (CI(rb)), and continuous non-invasive finger blood pressure (FBP) was repeatedly measured in 18 healthy subjects in the standing position while they were in parabolic flight at 0 and 1.8 G(z). Plasma volume (PV) and fluid regulating blood hormones were determined five times over the flight day. Eleven out of the 18 subjects were subjected to an identical test protocol in a hypobaric chamber in ambient conditions comparable to parabolic flight. RESULTS: CI(rb) in 0 G(z) decreased significantly during flight (early, 5.139 ± 1.326 L/min; late, 4.150 ± 1.082 L/min) because of a significant decrease in heart rate (HR) (early, 92 ± 15 min(-1); late, 78 ± 12 min(-1)), even though the stroke volume (SV) remained the same. HH produced a small decrease in the PV, both in the hypobaric chamber and in parabolic flight, indicating a dominating HH effect without a significant effect of GT on PV (-52 ± 34 and -115 ± 32 ml, respectively). Pulmonary tissue volume decreased in the HH conditions because of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (0.694 ± 0.185 and 0.560 ± 0.207 ml) but increased at 0 and 1.8 G(z) in parabolic flight (0.593 ± 0.181 and 0.885 ± 0.458 ml, respectively), indicating that cardiac output and arterial blood pressure rather than HH are the main factors affecting pulmonary vascular regulation in parabolic flight. CONCLUSION: HH and GT each lead to specific responses of the cardiovascular system in parabolic flight. Whereas HH seems to be mainly responsible for the PV decrease in flight, GT overrides the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by HH. This finding indicates the need for careful and individual medical examination and, if necessary, health status improvement for each individual considering a parabolic flight, given the effects of the combination of HH and GT in flight.
Subject(s)
Adrenal Cortex Hormones/blood , Blood Pressure , Cardiac Output , Plasma Volume , Respiration , Weightlessness/adverse effects , Adult , Female , Humans , Hypoxia/physiopathology , Male , Vascular Resistance , Weightlessness SimulationABSTRACT
The transthoracic impedance cardiogram (ICG) and the acceleration ballistocardiogram (BCG) measured close to the center of mass of the human body are generated by changes of blood distribution. The transthoracic ICG is an integrated signal covering the whole thorax and spatial resolution is poor. Comparison between both signals can be used to elucidate the source of the ICG signal. We recorded the ECG, ICG, and BCG simultaneously in healthy subjects under resting and microgravity conditions during parabolic flights. The time interval between the R-peak of the ECG and the maximum of the ICG (R-dZ/dtmax) and the time interval between the R-peak of the ECG and the I-peak in the BCG (R-I) differed significantly (p<0.0001). The I-peak in the BCG always occurred earlier during systole than dZ/dtmax. The delay of dZ/dtmax ranged between 23 and 28 ms at rest and was lowest under microgravity conditions (12 ± 4 ms, p<0.02). Our results suggest that both signals have different sources. Combination of modern imaging techniques with classical non invasive approaches to detect changes of blood distribution may provide new insights into the complex interaction between blood flow and mechanocardiographic signals like the BCG.
Subject(s)
Ballistocardiography/instrumentation , Cardiography, Impedance/instrumentation , Weightlessness , Adult , Electrocardiography , Female , Heart Rate/physiology , Humans , Male , Rest , Space Flight , Systole/physiology , Time FactorsABSTRACT
This article reports the case of a patient who developed acute coronary syndrome while receiving postoperative pain treatment via an epidural catheter (EC). Platelet function testing was performed before removal of the EC to assess the bleeding risk under ongoing dual antiplatelet therapy. Platelet function testing showed low responsiveness to clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid (ASS). The EC was removed uneventfully and clopidogrel was subsequently replaced by prasugrel and platelet function showed improved depression of thrombocyte aggregation. Possible reasons for low responsiveness to clopidogrel and ASS, such as drug-drug interactions with proton pump inhibitors and genetic factors are discussed.
