THE EFFECT OF BED REST ON THE BLOOD VOLUME OF NORMAL YOUNG MEN

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Abstract
The effect of 3 wks. of complete bed rest on the blood vol. and its component parts was studied in 6 expts. on 5 normal young men. In 4 men, studies were carried out during the course of reconditioning. In addition one of these men was studied before and after the surgical repair of an inguinal hernia. An avg. loss in blood vol. of 572 ml. or 9.3% occurred during the period of bed rest. This was almost entirely accounted for by a contraction of the plasma vol. of 518 ml., or 15.5%. The first wk. of reconditioning resulted in an increase in plasma vol. to pre-bed rest levels but was accompanied by an apparent loss of red cells so that the avg. increase of blood vol. was only 235 ml. The subsequent apparent increase in blood vol. to the orginal level was due entirely to an increase in red blood cells. The blood vol. change after the surgical repair of an inguinal hernia and 3 weeks'' bed rest in one man did not differ significantly from the changes observed in the same man after simple bed rest alone. Correlations between blood vol. changes and various indices of deterioration of cardiovascular function are discussed.