Summary
Peripheral venous tone, central venous and oesophageal pressures were recorded while the upright sitting subjects were immersed to the neck in a thermoneutral water bath. The central venous pressure rose from 3.4 to 15.2 mm Hg and the oesophageal pressure from −0.4 to +3.4 mm Hg. The transmural pressure, which determines the enddiastolic volume of the heart, increased by 8.0 mm Hg. Plethysmographic determinations of peripheral venous tone revealed a relaxation of the peripheral veins: after a quick initial decrease of the volume elasticity coefficient (E′15) from 16.6 to 13.5 mm Hg/ml/100 g tissue there is a continuous decline to 11.8 mm Hg/ml/100 g tissue after 3 hrs immersion. This relaxation persists for at least 1 hr after termination of immersion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arborelius, M., Jr., Balldin, U. I., Lilja, B., Lundgren, C. E. G.: Hemodynamic changes in man during immersion with the head above water. Aerospace Med.43, 592–598 (1972)
Berry, C. A., Coons, D. O., Catterson, A. D., Kelly, G. F.: Man's response to long-duration flight in the gemini spacecraft. Gemini Midprogram Conference, February 23–25, 1966, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
Clark, J. H.: The elasticity of veins. Amer. J. Physiol.105, 418 (1933)
Dietlein, L. F., Judy, W. V.: Experiment M-1, Cardiovascular conditioning. Gemini Midprogram Conference, February 23–25, 1966, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
Echt, M.: Untersuchungen über das Verhalten des Druck-Umfangsquotienten und der Durchblutung am Unterarm sowie der Herzfrequenz bei simulierter Schwerelosigkeit (Immersion im Wasserbad). Inaugural-Dissertation, Freie Universität Berlin 1970
Echt, M., Düweling, J., Gauer, O. H., Lange, L.: The compliance of the total vascular bed of man and its intrathoracic compartment derived from measurements of central venous pressure induced by blood volume changes. Circulat. Res.34, 61 (1974)
Echt, M., Lange, L., Thron, H. L.: Über den Einfluß der Dehnungsgeschwindigkeit auf die Bestimmung des Tonuszustandes der kapazitiven Gefäße am Menschen. Z. Kreisl.-Forsch.61, 842–852 (1972)
Eckstein, J. W., Hamilton, W. K.: The pressure-volume responses of human forearm veins during epinephrine and norepinephrine infusions. J. clin. Invest.36, 1663–1671 (1957)
Gauer, O. H., Eckert, P., Kaiser, D., Linkenbach, H. J.: Fluid metabolism and circulation during and after simulated weightlessness. Second International Symposium on Man in Space, Paris 1965, Proc. 212–221. Wien-New York: Springer 1967
Gauer, O. H., Henry, J. P., Behn, C.: The regulation of extracellular fluid volume. Ann. Rev. Physiol.32, 547–595 (1970)
Gauer, O. H., Thron, H. L.: Postural changes in the circulation. Handbook of Physiology, Sec. 2, Circulation III, pp. 2409–2439, Amer. Physiol. Soc., Washington 1965
Graveline, D. E., Jackson, M. M.: Diuresis associated with prolonged water immersion. J. appl. Physiol.17, 519–524 (1962)
Greenfield, A. D. M., Patterson, G. C.: On the capacity and distensibility of the blood vessels of the human forearm. J. Physiol. (Lond.)131, 290 (1956)
Hood, W.B., Jr., Murray, R. H., Urschel, C. W., Bowers, J. A., Goldman, J. K.: Circulatory effects of water immersion upon human subjects. Aerospace Med.39, 579–584 (1968)
Kaiser, D., Gauer, O. H.: Untersuchungen über den Venentonus am Unterarm bei simulierter Schwerelosigkeit. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol.289, R76 (1966)
Mead, J., Gaensler, E. A.: Esophageal and pleural pressures in man, upright and supine. J. appl. Physiol.14, 81–83 (1959)
Mead, J., McIlroy, M. B., Selverstone, N. J., Kriete, B. C.: Measurement of intraesophageal pressure. J. appl. Physiol.7, 491–495 (1955)
Milic-Emili, J., Mead, J., Turner, J. M., Glauser, E. M.: Improved technique for estimating pleural pressure from esophageal balloons. J. appl. Physiol.19, 207–211 (1964)
Thron, H. L.: Die hydrostatische Bäderwirkung auf Herz und Kreislauf. Z. angew. Bäder-Klimak.7, 125–138 (1960)
Thron, H. L., Gauer, O. H., Held, D., Scheppokat, K. D.: Über die Elastizität der kapazitiven Gefäße an Hand und Fuß des Menschen bei Änderung des kontraktilen Gefäßtonus und bei orthostatischer Belastung. Intern. Congress of Angiology 4th, Praha 1961
Thron, H. L., Scheppokat, K. D., Heyden, A., Gauer, O. H.: Das Verhalten der kapazitiven und der Widerstandsgefäße der menschlichen Hand in Abhängigkeit von thermischen Einflüssen. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol.266, 150–166 (1958)
Weller, W., Reif, E.: Methode zur Messung absoluter Intrapleuraldrucke mit dem Ösophagus-Ballonkatheter. Med. Thorac.22, 574–589 (1965)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by Contract No. F44620-71-C-0117 of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (OAR), European Office of Aerospace Research.
with the technical assistance of H. Dannenberg
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Echt, M., Lange, L. & Gauer, O.H. Changes of peripheral venous tone and central transmural venous pressure during immersion in a thermo-neutral bath. Pflugers Arch. 352, 211–217 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590486
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590486