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1 Biomedical Physics Laboratory
and 2 Chest Service,
We assessed the
effects of sustained weightlessness on chest wall mechanics in five
astronauts who were studied before, during, and after the 10-day
Spacelab D-2 mission (n = 3)
and the 180-day Euromir-95 mission (n = 2). We measured flow and pressure at the mouth and rib cage and
abdominal volumes during resting breathing and during a relaxation
maneuver from midinspiratory capacity to functional residual capacity.
Microgravity produced marked and consistent changes (
) in the
contribution of the abdomen to tidal volume [Vab/(Vab + Vrc), where Vab is abdominal volume and Vrc is rib cage
volume], which increased from 30.7 ± 3.5 (SE)% at
1 G head-to-foot acceleration to 58.3 ± 5.7% at 0 G head-to-foot acceleration (P < 0.005). Values of
Vab/(Vab + Vrc) did not change significantly during the 180 days of the Euromir mission, but in the two subjects Vab/(Vab + Vrc) was greater on postflight day
1 than on subsequent postflight days or preflight. In
the two subjects who produced satisfactory relaxation maneuvers, the slope of the Konno-Mead plot decreased in microgravity; this decrease was entirely accounted for by an increase in abdominal compliance because rib cage compliance did not change. These alterations are
similar to those previously reported during short periods of
weightlessness inside aircrafts flying parabolic trajectories. They are
also qualitatively similar to those observed on going from upright to
supine posture; however, in contrast to microgravity, such postural
change reduces rib cage compliance.
spaceflight; zero gravity; abdominal compliance; rib cage compliance
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