title: Device for rapid quantification of human carotid baroreceptor-cardiac reflex responses.
abstract: We designed, constructed, and evaluated a new device to characterize the human carotid baroreceptor-cardiac reflex response relation rapidly. We designed this system for study of reflex responses of astronauts before, during, and after space travel. The system comprises a new tightly sealing silicone rubber neck chamber, a stepping motor-driven electro-deposited nickel bellows pressure system, capable of delivering sequential R-wave-triggered neck chamber pressure changes between +40 and -65 mmHg, and a microprocessor-based electronics system for control of pressure steps and analysis and display of responses. This new system provokes classic sigmoid baroreceptor-cardiac reflex responses with threshold, linear, and saturation ranges in most human volunteers during one held expiration.
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002346:Carotid Sinus / Q000502:physiology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009333:Neck; D011311:Pressoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013026:Space Flight; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation*