[Effect of extremity cuffs as a countermeasure against the cardiovascular deconditioning during 21 d head-down bedrest].
OBJECTIVE
To affirm the protective effect of inflated cuffs.


METHODS
The protective effect against the cardiovascular deconditioning of inflated cuffs on the upper parts of thighs and arms during the 1st through 10th days of 21 d bedrest has been reported previously. The effect of the cuffs during the rest of the 21 d bedrest were studied in this paper. Five subjects in cuffs group whose orthostatic tolerance were well maintained continued bed rest for 7 d without inflated cuffs. For the last 4 days of this period, inflated cuffs were again applied. Orthostatic tolerance of subjects in cuffs group with and without cuffs were measured.


RESULTS
Two of the five subjects suffered orthostatic intolerance on the 17th day. No sign of orthostatic intolerance were observed by the end of bedrest.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) the cardiovascular deconditioning developed when inflated cuffs were not used, and (2) the use of inflated cuffs for 4 d improves the orthostatic tolerance.
Jiang
C L
CL
Institute of Space Medico-Engineering, Beijing, China.
Jiang
S Z
SZ
Li
J J
JJ
Yao
Y J
YJ
Wu
X Y
XY
Sun
X Q
XQ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D001510:Bed Rest; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight; D018493:Cardiovascular Deconditioning / Q000502:physiology*; D018475:Head-Down Tilt; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007024:Hypotension, Orthostatic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011312:Pressure; D013848:Thigh / Q000502:physiology; D018544:Weightlessness Countermeasures; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation