Effect of high-altitude exposure for 10 days on stroke volume and cardiac output

Resting stroke volume and cardiac output of 50 normal healthy sea-level residents (group A) were estimated by the noninvasive technique of electrical impedance plethysmography. They were then airlifted to an altitude of 3,658 m and serial estimations carried out at 0-4 h and 5-8 h and on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 10th days. The subjects were brought back to sea level and studied for up to 5 days. Thirty permanent residents of high altitude (group B) and sixteen lowlanders temporarily resident at high altitude (group C) were also subjected to similar studies. It was found that resting stroke volume and cardiac output of group A started falling immediately on arrival at high altitude, reached the minimum on the 3rd day and tended to improved on the 4th and 5th day, but showed a secondary fall on the 10th day. The reduction in stroke volume in this group was not fully compensated by tachycardia. On return to sea level the cardiac output normalized immediately, the stroke volume on the 2nd day. At sea level goup A had values similar to group B and at high altitude to group C.