High-Peak-Power Microwave Pulses: Effects on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure inUnanesthetized Rats

摘要

Exposure sources capable of generating high-peak-power microwave pulses, withrelatively short pulse widths, have recently been developed. Studies of the effect of these sources on the cardiovascular systems of animals have not been reported. Fourteen unanesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to ten high-peak-power microwave pulses generated by a transformer energized megawatt pulsed output (TEMPO) microwave source, at frequencies ranging from 1.2-1.8 GHz. Peak power densities were as high as 51.6 kW/square cm. At 1.7-1.8 0Hz, an immediate but transient increase in blood pressure and decrease in heart rate were observed. Measurements indicated a significant noise factor that was subsequently attenuated. At 1.2-1.4 0Hz, although there were trends toward increases in blood pressure and decreases in heart rate, the changes were not significant. No effects could be directly attributed to any other properties of the microwave exposures, after sound was attenuated.