Work Capacity and Cardiovascular Adjustments of Non-Diving Mammals in Hyperbaric Environment.

摘要

Some factors which limit human performance in the hyperbaric environments have been studied in the past, employing a controlled environment consisting of lumped parameters of pressure, gas density, levels of partial pressure of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and inert gases, ambient temperature, and humidity. The present study was designed to examine the possible interaction among these variables on the work capacity of rats, at rest and during exercise. The rat, like man, is a terrestrial non-diving mammal, and is the model employed in this study. Swimming was utilized in the present study as a means of imposing a work load on the rat. Measurements of cardiac output and its distribution, autonomic nervous control of cardiovascular functions, and oxygen consumption and conservation during apnea were studied in detail. The authors have studied the specific helium effects in the intact animal and in the isolated-perfused heart.