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Changes of peripheral venous tone and central transmural venous pressure during immersion in a thermo-neutral bath

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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.

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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

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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

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590486

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