[The antigravity suit, chamberless type, as a means of increasing orthostatic tolerance after water immersion hypokinesis and acceleration].

Orthostatic tolerance after 7-day dry immersion and head-to-feet acceleration was investigated on test subjects with and without an antigravity suit of bladderless type. With the suit on, the 20 min tilt test at 70 degrees prior to immersion induced less marked changes than without the suit. When the suit was on, cardiovascular reactions to tilt tests after immersion and acceleration improved. The maximum heart rate decreased from 135 +/- 4 to 101 +/- 5 beats/min (p less than 0.01), minimum stroke volume increased from 29 +/- 2 to 41 +/- 3 ml (p less than 0.05), and pulse pressure grew. Thus, an antigravity suit may help increase initial orthostatic tolerance and maintain it after the combined effect of simulated hypogravity and acceleration.