REDUCED PRESSURE IN EXTENDED COVERAGE ANTI-G-TROUSERS WITH ASSISTED PRESSURE BREATHING

Six Swedish Air Force pilots and two Armstrong Laboratory subjects vol unteered for this study to determine whether reduced pressure in exten ded coverage anti-Ci trousers (ECT), in combination with positive pres sure breathing for G protection, affected +Gz tolerance. Group mean gr adual onset run (GOR) time for the low pressure schedule (0.8 psig.G(- 1)) wets significantly different from the other two conditions (1.1, 1 .5 psig.G(-1))-84.1, 95.6, and 94.1 s, respectively. Group mean simula ted aerial combat maneuver (SACM) times statistically differed between the low and middle pressure rates compared to the highest pressure sc hedule-147.6, 164.8 and 232.3 s, respectively. SACM heart rats (HR) re sponses for the +9 Gz plateaus were not statistically different among conditions. How ever, +5 Gz HR's were lower for the highest pressure c ondition. Similarities were identified between the middle and high pre ssurization conditions for GOR. However, reducing pressure in the ECT during SACM exposures was not supported by these delta.