PARABOLIC FLIGHT USING REAL-TIME THREE-DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Abstract Objectives. We tested the feasibility of real-time 3D echocardiographic (RT3DE) imaging to measure left heart volumes at different gravity during parabolic flight and studied the effects of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) as a countermeasure. Background. Weightlessness-related changes in cardiac function have been previously studied during space flights using both 2D and 3D echocardiography. Several technical factors, such as inability to provide real-time analysis and the need for laborious endocardial definition have limited its usefulness. RT3DE imaging overcomes these limitations by acquiring real-time pyramidal datasets encompassing the entire ventricle. Methods. RT3DE datasets were obtained (Philips 7500, X3) during breath-hold in 16 unmedicated normal subjects in upright standing position at different gravity phases during parabolic flight (normogravity, 1Gz; hypergravity, 1.8Gz; microgravity, 0Gz), with LBNP applied (-50 mmHg) at 0Gz in selected parabolas. Results.

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