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Pulmonary function in space

J B West1, A R Elliott, H J Guy

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0623, USA. jwest@ucsd.edu

JAMA
|June 25, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Astronauts experience significant pulmonary function changes in microgravity, including increased cardiac output and diffusing capacity. These adaptations, however, do not appear to limit long-term space flight duration.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary physiology
  • Space medicine
  • Cardiovascular physiology

Background:

  • The lung's sensitivity to gravity necessitates understanding its function in microgravity.
  • Previous research lacked comprehensive data on sustained microgravity's effects on pulmonary function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively assess pulmonary function changes in astronauts during sustained microgravity.
  • To compare spaceflight data with ground-based measurements to understand gravity's role.

Main Methods:

  • Pulmonary function measurements were taken on astronauts before, during, and after 9- and 14-day space shuttle flights.
  • Data collected in microgravity were compared with extensive ground-based measurements.

Main Results:

Keywords:
NASA Discipline CardiopulmonaryNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Cardiac output increased by 18% and stroke volume by 46% in microgravity, despite reduced central venous pressure and blood volume.
  • Diffusing capacity increased by 28%, with a notable rise in alveolar membrane diffusing capacity.
  • Ventilation and blood flow distributions became more uniform, though some unevenness persisted. Airway closing volume remained unchanged, and residual volume decreased by 18%.

Conclusions:

  • Pulmonary function is significantly altered in microgravity, with adaptations like uniform lung filling and altered gas exchange.
  • Observed changes are not expected to limit long-term space missions.
  • The study provides insights into gravity's influence on pulmonary function in both space and terrestrial environments.