Effects of inertial load and countermeasures on the distribution of pulmonary blood flow
We assessed the influence of cranial-to-caudal inertial force (+G z ) and the countermeasures of anti-G suit and positive pressure breathing during G (PBG), specifically during +G z , on regional pulmonary blood flow distribution. Unanesthetized swine were exposed randomly to 0 G z (resting), +3 G z , +6 G z , and +9 G z , with and without anti-G suit and PBG with the use of the Air Force Research Laboratory centrifuge at Brooks Air Force Base (the gravitational force of the Earth, that is, the dorsal-to-ventral inertial force, was present for all runs). Fluorescent microspheres were injected into the pulmonary vasculature as a marker of regional pulmonary blood flow. Lungs were excised, dried, and diced into ∼2-cm3 pieces, and the fluorescence of each piece was measured. As +G z was increased from 0 to +3 G z , blood flow shifted from cranial and hilar regions toward caudal and peripheral regions of the lung. This redistribution shifted back toward cranial and hilar regions as anti-G suit inflation pressure increased at +6 and +9 G z . Perfusion heterogeneity increased with +G z stress and decreased at the higher anti-G suit pressures. The distribution of pulmonary blood flow was not affected by PBG. ANOVA indicated anatomic structure as the major determinant of pulmonary blood flow.