Biomedical study on combined effects of simulated weightlessness and emergent depressurization of spacecraft

Cabin emergent depressurization (CED) may occur in spacecraft during manned space flight. The purpose of this paper was to study the combined effects of simulated weightlessness (SW) and CED factors on humans and animals. It was found that the amplitude of T wave of human electrocardiograms (ECG) significantly decreased in bed rest and hypoxia compared with the control condition (P<0.05), and that suspension with pure O₂ induced severer edema in the lungs of rats than that in only a pure O₂ environment. SW and pure O₂ caused middle ear congestion and decreased the barofunction during pressure changes. These results indicate that human response to CED factors become more serious under SW because of the blood redistribution.