Regional circulatory responses to head-out water immersion in conscious dogs

We determined the regional blood flow responses to head-out water immersion (WI) in intact (INT) and cardiac-denervated (CD) conscious dogs. Immersing dogs in thermoneutral water (37 degrees C) in the quadruped position for 100 min resulted in significant increases in cardiac output (Qco) above control values by 38.7% in the INT dogs and 39.2% in the CD dogs (P less than 0.01). Arterial pressure increased by 32 and 34.7% in the INT and CD groups, respectively, during WI, with no significant changes occurring in the calculated total peripheral resistance. Regional blood flow responses were measured with 15-microns radiolabeled microspheres. Flows in the INT and CD groups increased significantly to the heart (40, 38%), skin (93, 96%), fat (79, 83%), diaphragm (44, 48%), and intercostal muscles (58, 55%), whereas there were no changes in renal cortical blood flows during WI. Total brain blood flows did not change significantly on immersion; however, blood flows in both INT and CD animals were increased to the cerebellum (19, 22%), but a significant decrease in pituitary flow (52%) was observed only in the CD group during WI. Gastrointestinal tissue flows increased only during early WI in both INT (45%) and CD (47%) animals. However, blood flows to the skeletal muscles increased only during late WI in the INT (53%) and CD (47%) groups. There were no significant differences between the INT and CD groups. Rectal temperatures and systemic O2 consumption (VO2) were unchanged during WI in both groups of animals. These observations indicate that WI leads to a sustained elevation of Qco accompanied by selective increases in regional tissue perfusion that may be accounted for in some tissues by an increase in metabolic demand or by local heating responses and produces a time-dependent redistribution of blood flow away from the gastrointestinal tissues toward skeletal muscle tissues, which may be due to a partial uncoupling of the normal Q/VO2 relationship. This may be caused by thermal or central neurohumoral mechanisms. These regional circulatory responses are not dependent on the presence of the cardiac nerves.