Abstract

Maximal treadmill exercise stress testing and centrifuge +G-acceleration stress testing are both known to be dysrhythmogenic. A comparison of the effects of these two stresses on 60 healthy men was performed. The 60 individuals were divided into three groups of 20 each. One group was made up of healty volunteer members from the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine acceleration stress panel. The other two groups were asymptomatic USAF aircrewmen undergoing aeromedical evaluation for newly discovered dysrhythmias (dysrhythmia group) and for other aeromedical abnormalities (nondysrhythmia group). Both stresses were observed to induce dysrhythmias with approximately the same frequency in the two patients groups; but, with the panel members who experienced higher +G stress, the centrifuge stress induced more dysrhythmias than did treadmill exercise stress. Certain dysrhythmias were more commonly as sociated with centrifuge stress. For USAF high-performance fighter pilots who are routinely exposed to repeated high sustained +G stress during aerial combat, it is imperative to assure that they are not predisposed to +Ginduced dysrhythmias. Centrifuge stress testing is therefore a valuable tool in the aeromedical evaluation of these aircrewmen. Verf.-Referat