3D-ballistocardiography in microgravity: comparison with ground based recordings
Summary
This study explored 3D-Ballistocardiograms (BCG) during parabolic flights. Microgravity altered BCG complexity, but cardiac ejection timing correlations require further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Space Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Ballistocardiography (BCG) non-invasively measures cardiac mechanical activity.
- Previous BCG studies often lacked multi-subject data.
- Spaceflight presents unique challenges for cardiovascular monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of microgravity on 3D-Ballistocardiograms (BCG).
- To explore correlations between 3D-BCG parameters and cardiac ejection timings (PEP, LVET).
- To establish a foundation for multi-subject BCG analysis in altered gravity.
Main Methods:
- Recorded 3D-Ballistocardiograms (BCG), ECG, and Impedancecardiograms (ICG) on 5 healthy volunteers during ESA parabolic flights.
- Compared ground-based recordings with those during microgravity phases.
- Analyzed spatial curves of displacement, velocity, and acceleration vectors to compute cardiac force, kinetic energy, and work.
Main Results:
- Microgravity was found to decrease the complexity of the 3D displacement curve.
- Consistent peaks in curvature were observed both in microgravity and on the ground.
- Observed BCG parameters did not strongly correlate with classical cardiac ejection timings derived from ICG.
Conclusions:
- 3D-BCG is sensitive to changes in gravitational conditions.
- Further research is needed to refine 3D-BCG parameters for accurate cardiac ejection timing assessment.
- This study provides initial multi-subject data for BCG in microgravity.
