PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S) : Lawrence F. Dietlein, and William V. Judy 



EXPERIMENT TITLE/NUMBER : Cardiovascular Conditioning, M001 



PROGRAM/MISSION : Gemini 5, 7 



CLASSIFICATION : Human 



DISCIPLINE(S) : Cardiovascular 



OBJECTIVES : To prevent cardiovascular deconditioning. 



PROTOCOL : Pneumatic cycling system alternately inflated and deflated leg 

 cuffs attached to pilot's thighs. Prior to the mission, each crewmember was 

 given a series of tilt-table tests as a control. 



EQUIPMENT : Pressurized storage vessel charged with oxygen to 3,500 psig, a 

 penumatic control system for monitoring the pressurized storage vessel, a 

 pneumatic oscillator system for periodically inflating and deflating the leg 

 cuffs. 



RESULTS : Pref light tilt (70 upright) showed increased heart rate, diastolic 

 pressure, and leg volume. Postf light tilt (R+0) showed large increases in 

 heart rate, leg volume, decreases in systolic, diastolic and pulse pressures. 

 Effects were less pronounced R+1 and R+3. Pretilt leg volume at R+3 was still 

 elevated. 



CONCLUSIONS : Venous leg cuffs were not effective in reducing postflight 

 orthostatic intolerance for the crewmen who wore them inflight. The pulsatile 

 cuffs appeared to be effective in lessening the degree of postflight pooling 

 of blood in the lower extremities as judged by the strain gage technique. 



PUBLICATIONS : 156, 157, 160, 169, 460 



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