title: Effects of 12 days exposure to simulated microgravity on central circulatory hemodynamics in the rhesus monkey.
abstract: Central circulatory hemodynamic responses were measured before and during the initial 9 days of a 12-day 10 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) in 4 flight-sized juvenile rhesus monkeys who were surgically instrumented with a variety of intrathoracic catheters and blood flow sensors to assess the effects of simulated microgravity on central circulatory hemodynamics. Each subject underwent measurements of aortic and left ventricular pressures, and aortic flow before and during HDT as well as during a passive head-up postural test before and after HDT. Heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure were measured, and dP/dt and left ventricular elastance was calculated from hemodynamic measurements. The postural test consisted of 5 min of supine baseline control followed by 5 minutes of 90 degrees upright tilt (HUT). Heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure showed no consistent alterations during HDT. Left ventricular elastance was reduced in all animals throughout HDT, indicating that cardiac compliance was increased. HDT did not consistently alter left ventricular +dP/dt, indicating no change in cardiac contractility. Heart rate during the post-HDT HUT postural test was elevated compared to pre-HDT while post-HDT cardiac output was decreased by 52% as a result of a 54% reduction in stroke volume throughout HUT. Results from this study using an instrumented rhesus monkey suggest that exposure to microgravity may increase ventricular compliance without alternating cardiac contractility. Our project supported the notion that an invasively-instrumented animal model should be viable for use in spaceflight cardiovascular experiments to assess potential changes in myocardial function and cardiac compliance.
authors.affiliation: Physiology Research Branch, Clinical Sciences Division, Brooks AFB, TX, USA.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Convertino
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Krotov
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Fanton
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Korolkov
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Trambovetsky
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ewert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Truzhennikov
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Latham
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output; D018475:Head-Down Tilt / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016683:Supine Position; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation