TILT  TEST 


Calendar
Notation		 Frequency
TILT Tilting Table Test = 30 Minutes 2 times
Tilt tests are used before and after the bed rest period to assess the effects of "simulated weightlessness" conditions on the ability to maintain an adequate blood perfusion in upright posture, otherwise known as " orthostatic tolerance."  Scratch anyplace that needs scratching and take a drink of water before this one, because it's one of those that "ties up" your arms for a period of time!  
I started by simply lying down on a padded table, and Stuart put a blood pressure cuff on my arm.  Chris extended a moveable portion of the table under my left arm (into which had been inserted a blood-draw catheter), then placed another sensor wrap around my left middle finger, one designed to measure blood pressure with every heartbeat. 
They took all the baseline numbers… and… then… T I L T!  There’s a whirring sound, and suddenly the table swivels upright, putting me in a standing position without the benefit of leg bends or the normal physiological adjustments the body would make when going from laying down to standing up. I did not have the headrush this time that I remembered from last year, perhaps because I knew what to expect. They continued with ECG and ultra-sound to see how the body responds to changes in body position… like if you’re in the space station and there is suddenly no sense of “up” or “down.”

You don’t get to watch the clock, you just have to hang in there. I did make it 30 minutes this time… in fact, it didn’t even seem like 30 minutes! So, not only is every person’s response often different, but each experience can also be different. The worst part is just feeling like you’re in an “unnatural” position – plus I got an itch above one eyebrow I couldn’t scratch with both arms all poked and wrapped and strapped. So I just tried to think of other things. The upcoming NHL season.  Where to have dinner that evening.
Rosario held a transducer to my throat for about first few minutes, then over my heart again. Every few minutes, the BP cuff would inflate. Ten electrodes all over my chest and abdomen were giving readings… and at two different times, Chris and Michael performed blood draws, which Sidney stored. Such chaos! But it was pretty quiet in there for being jammed with so many people.  They do go about their protocols with very admirable precision!
Chris called “End Tilt” at the 30-minute mark. I sat up and didn’t seem to have the light-headedness I’d had last summer, which was a relief, since I had to drive back to my hotel for lunch before having more tests later in the afternoon!
For the hardcore, here are some in-depth medical explanations for how and why tilt tables are used (with many photographs):